How to Treat a Festering Wound
by J.O. aka TheCatweazle
Summary: Dawn Bellwether is arrested - now what? What about Judy Hopps, the bunny most predators consider to be Enemy Number One after the disastrous press conference? What about the con-fox Nick Wilde? Will he have a chance to become a police officer? Can they heal the wounds they've caused? First story of a trilogy, continuing with "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life" and "Hammer to Fall."
1. Chapter One - The Aftermath

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Welcome to the weird and wacky world of Zootopia - Catweazle-style!**

 **Those of you who've already read this story will notice that I made a couple of changes, both within the story as well as in the author's notes. (I tried to keep the latter as they were, especially in regards of the stats and reviews, but sometimes I simply felt the need for changes.) The reason for this is that this story might be the first one of a trilogy from a chronological point of view, but it was the last story I started to write, way after I'd completed "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life" and even after I'd begun with "Hammer to Fall." It was originally intended to be little more than a one-shot, a short story explaining a few things which I thought would need explaining. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) it took on a life of its own, expanding way beyond all the proportions I had in mind at the beginning. And it shows when reading the other stories.**

 **There are a huge number of plot inconsistencies or just plain, dumb mistakes I made over the course of the months. This story wreaked havoc with both my other, older stories, opening festering wounds (how's that for an apt name for this story?), i.e. plot holes I desperately need to fill before I can move on with "Hammer." And while we're at it, I can also take care of a few problems within this story, grammar, typos, syntax, style, the whole enchilada. Hence the overhaul. You'll know when I'm done with said overhaul: As soon as the eleventh chapter of "Hammer" is published, you'll know I'm done and content with everything I wrote so far.**

 **So, let's cut to the chase, shall we?**

 **Why does this story even exist?**

 **Very simple: While I was in the middle of writing one chapter of "Hammer," containing a conversation between Chief Bogo and Mayor Lionheart, a thought struck me:**

 **How comes that Lionheart** ** _is_** **Mayor? I know that in a lot of stories, Zootopia has a new Mayor after the arrest of Dawn Bellwether. However, it is canon that after the events of the movie, Lionheart once again became Mayor. (In case you doubt this, just look up the entry about Lionheart on the Disney Wiki homepage.) How did this happen? What made the City Council decide to forgive Lionheart to reinstate him, despite of all the things he's done - after all, imprisoning mammals without authorization or an arrest warrant is a capital offense.**

 **And that wasn't the only thought that struck me. How comes that Judy, who almost single-handedly ripped Zootopia in twain during the dratted press conference, became a respected and even beloved police officer again, as most fanfiction writers, including myself, naturally seem to assume? What did she do to make Zootopia love her again?**

 **This is the story of how all this came to pass.**

 **Like I said before, this was, at the onset, little more than a short story, but it blew up to epic proportions. I had originally planned to put it all into just one chapter and be done with it, just to get the topic out of my way, so I could concentrate on "Hammer." But while writing, ideas just kept coming in from all directions, and I merely wrote them down. The one chapter I had planned soon became too big and unwieldy. So after some deliberation with myself, and with a heavy heart, I decided to just continue with this story, chapter after chapter, dealing with as many problems as I could. Because when looking at it more closely, the movie "Zootopia" is full of plot holes itself. Plot holes this story intends to fill.**

 **While we're at it, because it came up in a few reviews: I know that a lot of readers skip the author's notes to just read the story proper. Well, in the case of my stories, you shouldn't. As a rule, I use the author's notes to explain why I wrote the stuff I wrote, what inspired me to embark on a particular story arc. In case you skip the author's notes, you'll probably not understand what I wanna talk about. It's your choice, of course, but I strongly suggest you read the author notes as well. They may be long, but I try to keep them entertaining.**

 **The story itself starts during the events of the movie, a few minutes after Chief Bogo and the ZPD officers arrested Dawn Bellwether, and there are so many canon and original characters in this story, it's kind of pointless to name them all. It's rated T, and for very good reasons. And it firmly belongs in the "Drama" section, with a few grains of "Friendship" thrown in the mix, just for good measure.**

 **This story's artwork was created by Nightsy01, and it was provided to me by the Zootopia News Network site, where this story is also featured (courtesy of my friend, DrummerMax64). I strongly suggest to check out Nightsy01's creations on DeviantArt, because they're really awesome - and I'm not saying this out of sheer politeness, I'm saying it because it's true. And on a final note, I also suggest to visit the ZNN site on a regular basis. If you wanna know the newest and best stuff about our most favorite movie, ZNN's the place to go!**

 **Disclaimer: The movie "Zootopia" and everything depicted therein belongs to Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Animation Studios, copyrighted in 2016. I own nothing of it. All I do is that I use the property of others for their entertainment value. If that should really turn out to be a crime, yes, I'm guilty of it, but like Oscar Wilde said: "I can resist everything except temptation."**

* * *

Chapter One

 **The Aftermath**

 _Oh, is it me they call hero? Oh, is it me they await? Oh, is it me they call hero? Heroes are there to change fate._

Van Canto: "Hero" (Written by Stefan Schmidt, from the album "Hero," GUN Records (Sony BMG), 2008)

* * *

 **Zootopia Natural History Museum, City Center, Zootopia**

A hiss. Then, suddenly, words. "… _you sick of it?_ " The voice of Dawn Bellwether was slightly distorted, thanks to the rather low quality of the recording, but it was easily identifiable - and thus invaluable evidence. " _Predators! They may be strong and loud, but prey outnumber predators ten-to-one._ "

" _Let's hope this works_ ," another voice was heard. A male voice, barely more than a whisper. A scraping sound almost drowned out the voice. " _Never thought I'd enter a museum and push exhibits around one day_."

Chief Adrian Bogo looked down at the red fox standing in front of him. It looked as if his left arm was resting on the back of the mammal standing next to him, but the posture made it obvious that the fox was indeed making sure that the other mammal remained standing.

" _Oh, look, they fit perfectly! As if the gun was made for shooting them._ " A female voice, again barely more than a whisper. Bogo looked at the other mammal in front of him. It was obvious that Judy Hopps had seen better days. The last weeks had been hard on her, her appearance left no other explanation. On top of that, she was in obvious pain, standing on one leg while holding the other one up, bent at the knee. But her face was revealing nothing of that sort - she was wearing the brightest grin Bogo had ever seen on a rabbit.

" _Think of it - 90 percent of the population united against a common enemy. We'll be unstoppable_." Bellwether again. She was talking in a tone of voice Bogo had never heard her use. Gone was the meek sheep, to be replaced by someone who almost sounded like … a _predator._

" _Damn sheep can't even calculate_." The fox again. " _Ten to one is almost_ 91 _percent_."

" _Has anyone ever told you that you are a nitpicker?_ " Hopps.

" _Didn't take you long to find out that one, Fluff_." A pause. " _I think it's better if I take the serum. I have a breast pocket._ _Why do clothes for women never have any pockets?_ "

" _No idea_."

" _Is the pen working?_ "

" _It is._ "

" _You sure?_ "

" _Positive._ "

" _Great! Well, here goes! Hold on tight!_ "

The sound of rapid pawfalls, then the sharp _clang_ of a metal tube hitting concrete. Bellwether, shouting now: " _Over there!_ " More pawfalls, combined with gasping and panting. Something that sounded like a punch, followed by shouts of pain. Then, silence. At least for a few seconds.

"That's it?" Bogo asked.

"Wait for it," the fox replied with a snug grin.

Suddenly, laughter. " _Well, you should have just stayed on the carrot farm, huh?_ " Bellwether again. " _It really is too bad. I … I did like you_." Bogo had no idea why, but the voice he had heard so often over the course of the last years had never sounded so insincere before.

Suddenly Hopps' voice rang out, loud and strong: " _What are you gonna do? Kill me?_ "

Bellwether's answer was a happy-sounding giggle. " _Oh, no, of course not_." With a chilling abruptness, her voice turned menacing. " _He is_."

A strange sound, like a silenced pistol, a grunt, Hopps shouting, " _No! Oh, Nick!_ "

Bogo looked at the fox. On the left side of his neck, a blue stain was visible. "What's that?"

"Blueberries. From her family's farm," the fox replied. "They are delicious. You should try some."

Bogo shook his head and concentrated on the recording on this strange (and definitely not officially approved) carrot-shaped Dictaphone.

Bellwether had just made her phone call, alerting the ZPD of an emergency situation at the Natural History Museum. Now, Hopps was heard again. " _No, Nick! Don't do this! Fight it!_ "

Bellwether's voice cut in. " _Oh, but he can't help it, can he? Since preds are just biologically predisposed to be savages_." The glee in her voice was unmistakable.

Suddenly a growl was heard, violent and feral. More gasps, irregular pawfalls, and growling. Lots of growling.

Suddenly, Bellwether's voice was drowning out the noise. " _Gosh, think of the headline! 'Hero cop killed by savage fox!'_ "

Hopps answered: " _So that's it. Prey fears predator and you stay in power?_ "

" _Yeah, pretty much_."

" _It won't work!_ "

" _Fear_ always _works. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way_."

Bogo nodded. "And _that's_ the smoking gun." He looked at the pen. "How do I turn this thing off?"

"Just press the button once, and shortly, sir," Hopps said.

Bogo did, and the pen went silent. "You still have the serum you took out of the gun?"

"It's right here." The fox took something out of his breast pocket. "I suggest you handle it with care. It's the last one left, and if this breaks in your hoof, you'll turn savage."

Bogo nodded, taking the tiny blue sphere with extreme caution. "McHorn!" he shouted.

A rhino approached the small group immediately. "Yes, sir?"

"You have an evidence bag with you?"

"I have." McHorn took a tiny plastic Ziploc bag out of one of the pockets of his uniform.

Bogo put the sphere into the bag. While McHorn sealed it, Bogo ordered: "Get this to forensics on the double! And keep the bag closed at all times until you're there! Do not, I repeat, _do not_ allow anyone to touch what's inside! That includes _you_!"

"Of course, sir." McHorn turned around and, true to his orders, ran towards the exit with surprising deftness, considering his massive stature.

Bogo took out his cell phone, dialed a number and waited a few seconds. "Doctor Peralta? Chief Bogo here. Listen up! Officer McHorn is on his way to you; he will arrive in a few minutes. He's carrying an evidence bag containing a tiny pellet. You will analyze the contents of the pellet. Consider it a Class A poison. Full protective suit." He waited for a reply. "What it is? Well, we think the contents are the reason why predators have been turning savage. You'll start working on an antidote, and you'll do it now." Another pause. "I don't care. From now on, this is your top priority. Everything, and I mean _everything_ , else can wait. You are hereby authorized to make use of every resource imaginable, and you're authorized to consult with every expert who may be able to help you. This needs solving, and it needs solving YESTERDAY. Understood? Good."

Bogo disconnected and pocketed his cell phone again. "So, let me see if I get this straight, Hopps: You find out that the reason the predators turn savage is a serum, created from a flower which happens to grow in your home town. You return to Zootopia to rectify the mistakes you made, and instead of coming to the ZPD, you ask this fox for help?"

To his surprise, Hopps bristled. "This _fox_ , sir, has a _name_ ," she spat. "His name is Nicholas …"

"Wilde, I know."

Hoops looked at him in astonishment and even fear, while Wilde's expression was difficult to read. His grin had vanished, though, but he seemed to be rather unperturbed by Bogo's knowledge. If he was afraid, he managed to hide it completely.

If he was honest with himself, Bogo had to admit that he should have been the one to be afraid.

A former cop, or rather - and much worse -, a cute, tiny bunny, whom he had decided to belittle from the get-go, had joined forces with a well-known con-mammal, a sneaky, untrustworthy fox of all mammals, vigilante-style, to unravel a crime which could have thrown Zootopia into chaos, possibly even civil war.

These two misfits had basically done the job he was paid to do.

Nothing even remotely similar had ever happened to him.

It was a truly humbling experience for Bogo.

Wilde obviously decided to play the cool, nothing-gets-to-me guy. "Have we met? I mean, other than on that platform in the Rainforest District."

Bogo shook his head. "We haven't, but isn't it true that you are in a business relationship with an infamous arctic shrew whom most mammals would characterize as a mob boss?"

The quickly dilating pupils in Wilde's face showed that Bogo had hit his mark. He opened his mouth to say something, but Bogo beat him to it. "And isn't it true that you have a business associate going by the moniker of Finnick, with whom you have a long history of scamming and hustling?"

Hopps looked at Wilde in obvious distress, while Wilde still looked unmoved. "I have one question, if I may, Chief," he said in a business-like tone.

"Go ahead."

"Where are your pawcuffs?" He stepped away from Hopps and raised both paws in a gesture which clearly acknowledged defeat.

This move surprised both Bogo and Hopps. " _No!_ " the bunny shouted. She tried to turn towards Bogo, but her injured leg gave out immediately, and she toppled over with a yelp of pain. Before she was even close to hitting the ground, however, Wilde had managed to break her fall, pulling her upright again. She gave Wilde a look of gratitude, then she turned towards Bogo and said with a speed befitting a machine-gun: "Sir, without his help, I would have been truly and utterly lost. He doesn't deserve to be arrested! Please, sir, don't do this to him! He even …"

Bogo raised his hoof, which was very effective in silencing Hopps. Looking at Wilde, he said: "I don't really understand the game you're playing here, Wilde. You're one of those mammals most would call an opportunist." He looked around. "I fail to see your opportunity here."

"Excuse me?" Wilde was still business-like, as if his freedom wasn't on the line here.

"You help to bring a criminal to justice without having been offered any kind of reward. You help a city which has done nothing to support you. You help a police officer you barely even know. And when you defend her, you defy _me_ , a mammal ten times your size. And now you walk into the literal lion's den, knowing full well that it could earn you a stint in Elkatraz. Why did you do all these things?"

Wilde took a deep breath. "I guess you don't realize how life was for most predators in Zootopia over the course of the last few weeks."

"You're wrong, I do realize. As a matter of fact, I had to suspend several outstanding officers, just because they were predators - the City Council gave me no choice. And every time someone reported some atrocity perpetrated by prey against predators, the DA, who's appointed by the City Council, was strangely reluctant to press charges." He looked towards the back, where Higgins was still reading Bellwether her rights. "I guess I understand this better now."

"You've only seen the tip of the iceberg." He made a pause, obviously thinking hard, then he plowed on. "You are right on all your accusations. I am a con-fox, I make a living hustling mammals out of their hard-earned money. But not only was it becoming increasingly difficult lately to make ends meet, it sometimes became outright dangerous to walk the streets. I was harassed on an almost daily basis. Okay, I've been harassed before -comes with being a fox _and_ a con-mammal, I guess -, but never this often, or this severely. It was high time that somebody did something about it. And when Officer Hopps asked me to help her, I knew I had to do it. I did it for myself, for my health, even for my survival, and for the health and survival of all the other predators forced to endure harassment. I did this despite being fully aware of the consequences. So if you wanna arrest me, now's your chance. The way I see it, my hustling days are over anyway."

"And why's that?"

Wilde looked at Hopps. "Because I know a bunny who'd go into conniptions, should I return to my former lifestyle."

"You're willing to face jail time, just to please her?"

"I am."

Bogo nodded. "I see. You know that Ms. Hopps left the ZPD a few weeks ago, I assume."

"I may have read about this in some newspaper, yes."

"Well, when she left, she emptied her locker, but she left behind one piece of paper, obviously because she thought she wouldn't need it again. It's currently sitting in a filing cabinet in my office. Tell me, are you really willing to enter the Zootopia Police Academy?"

 _And finally I have gotten to you!_

Wilde's jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and he stared at Bogo wordlessly. Bogo continued: "If you are, let me tell you that the ZPD demands full commitment. You either do this and walk the full mile, or you leave it be. There is no middle ground. You either make it, or somebody will break you. You cannot hustle your way through this."

Wilde had obviously found his voice again. "Wait, that's rubbish! I cannot apply. Not now, not when you know who I really am."

Bogo allowed himself a small chuckle. "When reading your application form, I couldn't help noticing that you answered the question whether you've ever been arrested or charged with a criminal offense by ticking the 'Yes' checkbox first, only to scribble over your answer and ticking 'No.' Do you really think it's that easy?" He made a pause. "Do you really believe your criminal record would not have come under intense scrutiny, regardless of how you had answered the question, once you had applied to the ZPA? Application is one thing. Each year, hundreds of mammals apply to academy training. But most never even make it into the Academy - they're rejected outright, usually because the initial tests show that they lack the qualities needed to become a police officer. Some, however, are rejected because of their criminal record. And just so you know, this includes trifles like traffic violations. A hustler, who's probably guilty of felony tax evasion, would never stand a chance; he'd be rejected even before his application could have reached the ZPA."

Wilde frowned. "Why are you telling me this? If there's no chance for me to apply …"

"Oh, you can apply, but in the current situation, being accepted into the ZPA is out of the question for you, and would probably even end in you being arrested." He made a pause, looking at Hopps. "However, if you could find a respected police officer, such as her, who would vouch for you, there may be a slight possibility that the Chief could put in a good word for you." He made another pause, leaning forward and thus closing the gap between him and Wilde, fixing his stare on the much smaller mammal. To his credit, Wilde didn't even flinch. "And if said Chief throws his weight and influence around, it may even be possible that the DA and the Mayor, whomever that will be, could offer you a full pardon, given what you've done for the city here. Which would in turn mean that your application would in all probability be accepted without compunction."

Hopps gasped, her nose twitching wildly. Then the twitching subsided, her ears drooped, and her features softened. "I cannot vouch for him, Chief. I'm not a police officer anymore."

Bogo nodded. "Right. However, should you happen to look into the aforementioned filing cabinet, you may also find a badge a certain rabbit police officer may have lost in the Mayor's office."

Hopps gasped again. "You … you want me to return to duty?"

Bogo gave her one of his most stern stares. "Those are not the words I would use, Hopps. You solve this case, and I applaud you for it. However, the fact remains that you did it on your own, and I can't, and _won't_ , promote vigilantism. Not to mention the fact that you made a complete and utter fool of the ZPD. You two managed, on your own and with very limited resources, what all the officers at the ZPD were unable to do." He made a pause. "I'd much rather present you to the public as a police officer solving the case, instead of a vigilante who did the job we should have done. You'll still receive full credit, and you deserve it, but you'll get it as a police officer, working undercover to solve a case."

Hopps visibly hesitated. After a few seconds, she opened her mouth, but at this moment, Wilde spoke up: "It's what you wanted your entire life, Carrots."

 _Carrots?_ Bogo flinched. Another one of the countless demeaning nicknames for rabbits. But she seemed to take it in stride. _Interesting._

Hopps looked at Wilde, then she took a deep breath. "I am requesting reinstatement into the ZPD, sir."

"Granted." Bogo nodded. "Welcome back, Officer Hopps."

"Thank you, sir." She looked at Wilde. "I would like to ask you to consider offering Nicholas Wilde the chance to apply to the Zootopia Police Academy, sir. He could be an outstanding police officer. Without his help, I would never have been able to solve this case."

Bogo looked at Wilde. "Mr. Wilde, do you want to apply to the ZPA?"

Wilde straightened, looking into the eyes of Bogo. "I do, sir," he said without any hint of hesitation. Bogo noticed that, for the first time, Wilde had responded to him with a posture and tone of respect.

"Good. I will give this my full consideration. Please come to my office tomorrow, so we can go over your application one last time."

"Thank you, sir."

"Good." Bogo looked around. All other officers had left the museum, taking Bellwether and her henchmammals with them. "Let's wrap things up here. Hopps, you should go to the hospital to have this leg looked at."

She nodded. "Of course, sir."

"Will you take her there, Wilde?"

"I will, Chief."

"Good. There's a press conference I need to conduct."

"A press conference?" Hopps asked.

"Of course. That's the second arrested Mayor in three months. It doesn't get much more high-profile than that. The press gaggle will want answers."

Hopps looked at Wilde, who grinned. "I guess we need to stop arresting Mayors, don't you think, Carrots?"

Hopps returned the grin. "Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"

Bogo shrugged and turned towards the entrance. Hopps and Wilde walked by his side, with the fox supporting the rabbit, who was limping in obvious pain. Bogo was walking very slowly to allow them keep up. "I couldn't care less, Hopps. There'll always be Mayors. There are far more than enough politicians in Zootopia - sometimes I think they spawn on damp locker room floors. One of them is sure to run for mayoralty."

"The Assistant Mayor takes over first, right?" Hopps asked Bogo.

It was Wilde who answered. "Unfortunately, yes."

She looked at him with a frown. "Why is it unfortunate?"

"Because Aries is a ram. And he was Bellwether's campaign manager when she ran for office first, some twelve years ago. After she made it into the City Council, she made sure he'd follow her four years later. It's just new wine in old wineskins."

Bogo looked at him. "You think he's in league with Bellwether?"

"You can bet your buffalo butt on it."

"Should I let some of my officers look into it?"

"Couldn't hurt. He's corrupt and opportunistic, and he'd definitely profit from prey ruling over predators, seeing as he owns Aries Security, a security company founded by his father, who was just as bad as him. By the way, employees of Aries Security are responsible for quite a lot of harassment against predators."

Bogo did a double-take. "They are?"

"They tried to beat up me and my colleague, for one. Thought playing hardball with a red fox and his tiny fennec fox friend was easy as pie." Wilde grinned. "Unfortunately for them, Finnick always has a few baseball bats lying around, and he knows darn well how to put them to good use. And he's much stronger than you'd expect from looking at him."

"Well, you are con-artists …"

"Who were simply sitting in the back of his van, enjoying our after-work-beer. The work we had done before may have been bordering on being illegal, but at that very moment, we were doing nothing illegal whatsoever. Whoever opened the van to get us, I guess _they_ can be accused of breaking a few laws, like breaking and entering. Especially since they had arrived in an unmarked black van with no license plates. One of them, however, had been stupid enough to still wear his uniform. That's why we know who they work for. And I can tell you with certainty, none of them had been among the mammals we had hustled in the last three years. In fact I don't recall ever having hustled goats and sheep working for a security company. So it can't even have been revenge that drove the mammals."

"Where did this happen?"

"Sahara Square, in the only side alley along Acacia Avenue, next to the pawn shop run by the hyena, I keep forgetting his name."

Bogo knew the surveillance map of Zootopia like the back of his hoof, still he needed a few seconds to recall the important pieces of information. "There should be two traffic cameras in the vicinity. With any luck, we may have caught them in the act. I'll have someone look into it."

"Really?"

"You can bet your scruffy tail on it," Bogo said deadpan, eliciting a slight chuckle from both small mammals. "A crime is a crime, whether it is committed against a law-abiding citizen or a hustler. If we have the incident on video, and if it affirms your story, heads will roll at Aries Security."

"Great. It happened 17 days ago, just so you know."

"Understood."

"So Aries isn't any better," Hopps said. "Who else is there?"

"Well, the Democrats have the majority, so the new Mayor will most likely be from their ranks. We have Swinton, who's a lazy slob and not interested in anything else than her make-up. Then there is Merino, another sheep who's probably in league with Bellwether. She only joined the Council recently, but rumor has it she's destined for great things. Caballus only became Councilmammal to prevent the Council from doing anything which could harm his construction company." He made a pause. "The rest are mere yes-mammals who just sit there, doing nothing, barely even realizing that the citizens of Zootopia look up to them, hoping they'd make the right decisions for them and the city on the whole. Castor may be an alternative, but he's too young and inexperienced, and he doesn't have the support most other Councilmammals have."

"You seem to be pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the City Council," Bogo observed.

Wilde shrugged. "I know _everybody_."

"So, what do we do?" Hopps asked.

Wilde looked at her with a frown. " _We?_ What do you think? I'm going to take you to the hospital so you can have that leg looked after. And the Chief is on his way to the ZPD HQ for the press conference."

Bogo nodded. "It is not our responsibility to determine who the next Mayor of Zootopia will be, Hopps. It'll sort itself out without our help."

"Yes, but Zootopia needs a good Mayor now, not just the next in line."

Wilde actually laughed at that. "You're a regular riot, Carrots! The Councilmammals are all just politicians, which means they are cheats and liars, and when they're not kissing cubs, they're stealing their pawpsicles. All that changes are names and faces, that's it."

"Lionheart was better."

Wilde hesitated. "Well, yes, he was, but … he's a liar. And a criminal."

"No he isn't. You heard Bellwether."

Bogo stopped dead in his tracks. "What did you just say?"

"Bellwether told us that she framed him." She pointed at the carrot pen Bogo still held in his left hoof. "It's all on the pen, the final thing before the recording ends."

"You think he's innocent?"

"We believe so, sir."

Wilde shook his head. " _You_ believe so Carrots. I don't. He falsely imprisoned fifteen mammals to make sure he stayed in power. Doesn't sound like being innocent to me."

"Yes, but … he didn't have a choice." Hopps took a deep breath. "He was right. When we arrested him, he told me that what had happened could destroy Zootopia." She looked up at Bogo "You were there, too, sir. You heard him say that he imprisoned the missing mammals to protect the city. And seeing what happened after …," her nose began to twitch again, "after I shot my mouth during the press conference, I have to agree with him. He has been right all along. You can't blame a Mayor for doing what is best for his city."

Wilde considered this. "Maybe that's true, Fluff. Still, he broke the law."

Suddenly, Hopps grinned. "Look at you, Slick! We'll make a law-abiding citizens out of you yet."

Wilde shrugged. "I better start acting like a cop, I guess, seeing that I just applied to become one."

"That's the spirit, Nick!" She looked up at Bogo. "Lionheart's your friend, right?"

Bogo's posture became rigid. "How'd you figure out that one?"

"When you arrested Lionheart, you told him, and I quote: 'Never thought you'd do something like this, Leo.'" She made a pause. "Sounds like you go back a long way."

"We do," Bogo said. "We first met in High School, and we've been buddies ever since. Hell, I was his best mammal! I'm his oldest cub's godfather!"

"So you were disappointed."

"I was. Still am." Bogo sighed. "I'm with Wilde on this one. He may have had all the good reasons in the world, still he committed a crime, and for that, he needs to be punished. It doesn't matter if Bellwether hoodwinked him into doing what he did, the decision itself was his, and his alone."

"Sure, Chief, but what should he have done? Letting savage mammals go on a rampage? Let the public know that predators turn savage? You saw what happened when the public found out. Back when we arrested him, I thought he'd done it merely to make sure he stayed in office. I'm not so sure anymore. He had seen the problems and had done what was in his power to make sure they never materialize."

"Yes, but false imprisonment is a _crime_ , Hopps!"

"Maybe so, but if someone is coerced into committing a crime, don't you think it could count as extenuating circumstances?"

Bogo hesitated again. "I think so. I'm not a lawyer, nor a judge. I'm just a cop."

"And you'd probably be pleased if your old friend is released from prison and reinstated."

"Of course, but … I just don't see this happen. The City Council's not likely to invite him back with open arms."

"Maybe someone could convince them."

"And who could this mammal be?"

"You, for example."

Bogo let out a guffaw. "Weren't you listening, Hopps? Lionheart's my _friend_! The moment I start putting in a good word for him, that's the moment when mammals start accusing me of being biased. I am the ZPD's Chief, I need to be impartial. All are equal before the law. I merely enforce the law, and I'm not allowed to care who the perp is."

"But let's put your friendship aside for a second. You'd agree with me that, as far as mayoralty is concerned, he would be the best option."

Bogo looked at Wilde, who returned the gaze and nodded. Bogo nodded, too. "He would certainly be."

"He was the first Mayor in a long time who really cared about the citizen," Wilde added. "When he became Mayor, things finally began to change. Before that, it sometimes was outright dangerous for a fox to cross the streets at night. Lionheart and the City Council appointed a new DA, and he immediately stepped up to press charges against thugs who went after foxes. Yes, there still is a long way to go, but under Lionheart, things finally started to improve for everyone involved, not just for one group of mammals. Yep, if I had any say in this matter, I'd prefer Lionheart over most of his competitors."

"Me too," Bogo said, "but my opinion will count as biased. So I cannot put in a good word for him."

"Then let _me_ do it, Chief," Hopps said.

"You?"

"Yes, sir. I will put in a good word for him. I will tell the people of Zootopia that Lionheart is the Mayor this city needs."

"Hopps, you are a police officer. You're a subject of the City Council, too. You cannot take sides. You need to be impartial at all times. Justice knows no favoritism."

"Do I really need to show favoritism? All I need to do is to present the facts of the case. I can show that Lionheart had no choice but to act like the way he did, that Bellwether forced his paw. She was the true culprit behind everything - she coerced Lionheart into his criminal behavior. She even admitted that she framed Lionheart, it's on the pen, and Nick and I can confirm it. If I mention all this, maybe the Councilmammals and all of Zootopia will realize that he is their best option."

Bogo sighed. "Of course, but you need to avoid sounding like you officially endorse Lionheart."

"That goes without saying, sir."

"And when will you want to do this?"

She hesitated, but then she looked Bogo in the eyes. "At your press conference."

Bogo stared at her in surprise. "That's out of the question, Hopps! You belong in a hospital!"

"Sir," Hopps stare became even more intense, "I need to do this! I screwed up royally the first time. It's my fault this city almost fell into an all-out riot. My fault, and mine alone. I need to make this right! I need to make amends. Sir, please, let me accompany you to the press conference!"

"No, Hopps! You are in no fit state to address the press!"

"Sir, this is more important than me! To _hell_ with my leg - I need to do this, even if I can't walk anymore after this. I need to fix this, and I need to do it _now_!"

"You can't even stand on your own!"

"Nick will support me."

"I will," Wilde said immediately. He put on a smirk. "Besides, I guess the press wants to see the bunny who solved the case."

"And the fox who helped her do it," Hopps added, looking at Wilde.

Bogo looked from her to him, and back again. He _so_ wanted the two of them to go directly to the hospital. A deep gash in the shin was not to be trifled with, particularly one which was probably already infected.

But he wouldn't force them to go to the hospital.

During her first press conference, Hopps had turned herself into Enemy Number One of a lot of predators in Zootopia. Her inexperience, her naivety, her lack of knowledge, had caused her to make a blunder of galactic proportions, a blunder which caused a lot of pain and suffering.

It was high time this came to an end.

It was high time for Judy Hopps to apologize to the mammals of Zootopia, to start making amends.

Bogo heaved a sigh. "Fine, Hopps."

 _This rabbit will be the death of me yet! She and her fox friend!_

* * *

 **As usual, I've hidden a few references to books, movies, or songs in this story. And I'm asking you to find and name them. If you manage to do so, you will receive a honorific mention in the next chapter.**

 **I hid one quote from the book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." (This will probably be a tough one.)**

 **Another quote, slightly changed this time, is from the movie (not the book) "The Hunt for Red October." (This one should be somewhat easier.)**

 **Thanks for reading! Please send me your reviews to let me know what you think about what I'm doing here!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	2. Chapter Two - But It Might Be Worse!

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Sometimes things need to get worse before they get better …**

 **This is exactly what this chapter's all about. In here, I'll deal with the repercussions of the first press conference, how it influenced several mammals, both characters from the movie as well as OCs. This is a heavy one, but absolutely necessary. There will be angst, pain, oppression, then whole shebang. I'm taking a leaf out of history books, but apart from that, I just thought of the most ugly possibilities and put them in here.**

 **It was a very tough chapter to write, having to deal with such a host of dark emotions. It took me quite a lot of tries to get the tone right. I hope I managed to deliver.**

 **The stats so far are thus: Almost 200 views, 5 reviews, 8 favorites and 19 alerts. Your support is, as always, very much appreciated.**

 **Thanks to hpalex13, RandomNobody37, Galaxyexplorer74, Dirtkid123, and Foxlover91 for their reviews.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Two

 **Yeah, But It Might Be Worse!**

 _There's desperation in the air. It leaves a stain on all your clothes and no detergent gets it out._

Meat Loaf: "Life Is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back" (Written by Jim Steinman, from the album "Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell," Virgin, 1994)

* * *

 **Zootopia News Network Headquarters, Office of Peter Moosebridge and Fabienne Growley, City Center, Zootopia**

Peter Moosebridge looked at his wristwatch, trying his hardest to not let his nervousness show. For the third time in two weeks, his co-anchor Fabienne Growley was late in coming to the studio for the Evening News. Until those two weeks ago, lateness and Growley had been things you wouldn't have found in one sentence together. But ever since some mysterious mammal had targeted the snow leopard, making her private life a living hell, she had either arrived at the studio at the very last minute, or very, very late.

Today she was very, very late.

The door opened a bit, and Larry White, one of ZNN's production assistants, pushed his horned head through the gap. "Fabienne's still not arrived?"

Moosebridge spread his arms. "Do you see her here?"

The oryx clicked his tongue in irritation. "When push comes to shove, you need to do it alone today."

"I know, but you know perfectly well that I'm loath to do so, Larry," Moosebridge replied immediately. He shook his head. "Why does nobody interfere? She's been harassed for weeks, still the authorities do nothing about it."

White didn't appear to be particularly sorry for Growley. "That's what you get for being a stinkin' pred." He pulled back his head.

"NOW WAIT JUST ONE SECOND," Moosebridge thundered. White's head reappeared. "You didn't just say that, did you?"

If White was upset over Moosebridge's tone, he concealed it well. "What if I did?"

"That was the single most disgusting thing I've ever heard. Fabienne is one of two reasons you have a job, young mammal." He got up, towering over White. "I am the other one. So I strongly suggest you show her the respect she deserves, and show _me_ that you can behave. Otherwise you'll find this hoof," he pointed at his right hind leg, "at a certain place where the sun doesn't shine. Along with your walking papers."

It certainly was unusual for a news anchor to issue such threats. However, Peter Moosebridge wasn't your usual news anchor.

For more than 35 years, Moosebridge had been the "voice of Zootopia," as most of his colleagues, and thus the public, called him. He was the prime news anchor and thus a familiar face for mammals in both Zootopia as well as the surrounding districts. He was immensely popular and therefore in constant demand. He hosted his own talk show, _Moosebridge One on One_ , he had been the narrator for countless documentary features and had recently even begun doing voiceover work for animated movies. He was a well-known staple in advertising and a welcome face in other talk shows. He was famous for knowing a lot of politicians on quite an intimate basis, and there were few mammals in Zootopia who knew more about the political proceedings than he did. Which is why most citizens of Zootopia valued his opinion highly.

All this had made him a wealthy mammal. Combined with an extraordinary skill in making investments, the money he had at his disposal even put the most overpaid sport celebrities to shame. And when the ZNN had been facing financial troubles, it had enabled him to buy 51 percent of stock, which in turn meant that he was basically running the whole company.

When Moosebridge told someone that his job at the ZNN was on the line, it was no empty threat.

White's jaw dropped. "You wouldn't!"

"I am the majority shareholder of this company; I can, and I will. So, don't you dare talk about Fabienne like that. Just get out and do what you're paid for!"

White's head was gone faster than Moosebridge had ever seen a mammal move.

He sat down again and sighed. Times had surely changed.

He'd been living in Zootopia for most of his adult life, and he had seen a lot of changes in society lately. Every day, he had seen the prejudice, the bigotry, the false hopes, the animosity. At this particular moment, there was very little which could have served to convince him that in Zootopia, anyone could be anything, as the former Mayor Leodore Lionheart had constantly claimed.

And after the press conference following the solving of the Missing Mammals case, things had taken a turn for the worst. Now, open harassment against predators happened on a daily basis. Every day, news of atrocious crimes, always perpetrated by prey mammals, and always with predators as the victims, flooded his office. And strangely enough, the city's administration seemed to be somewhat reluctant to put the criminals to justice.

Each and every day, things got worse. So far, injuries and property damage had been the worst outcome, but Moosebridge was secretly dreading the day when reports of outright murder would make it onto his desk. In his opinion, it was just a matter of time.

Suddenly, the door leading into his shared office opened with a bang, and Fabienne Growley stormed into the room, completely out of breath and looking quite disheveled. "I don't believe it!" she shouted instead of a greeting.

"What is it?" Moosebridge asked.

"I finally know who was molesting me. I found him slashing the tires of my car!"

" _Again?_ What, it's like the third time."

"It is. And can you imagine who did it?"

"No idea."

"My neighbor."

Moosebridge flinched. "The zebra? Hold on a second, didn't you tell me you were getting along just fine? Didn't you invite him to your last birthday party."

"I did, but 'were' is the operative word here." Growley collapsed into her office chair, trying hard to calm her breathing. "Seems like he had a change of mind. Now I'm just a dirty, no-good pred, according to him."

Moosebridge shook his head. "The nerve! Did you report him to the police?"

She snorted. "I tried. Turns out that their staffing level is stretched really thin right now, so there was no officer available to receive my report. All they told me was that they would call back as soon as an officer is available. Which will probably take years, if it happens at all." She leaned back and sighed. "So I had to take a cab, or rather, I tried. Nine cabs just rushed past me; each one of them driven by prey. One even flipped the bird at me. The tenth cab was driven by an ocelot. He seemed to be happy to have a customer. According to him, business is extremely slow, because no prey wants to ride in a cab driven by a predator." She looked at the wall clock. "That's why I'm late. Guess we need to skip the …"

At this moment, the door opened again, and the editor-in-charge appeared. Patrick Mephitis was a skunk, a no-nonsense mammal with little sense of humor. "Get a move on! We have a news-flash! We're on the air in five!"

Both larger mammals looked at him, flabbergasted. "What?" Moosebridge said. "Why?"

"Just got word from the ZPD. Seems like they arrested Mayor Bellwether."

"WHAT?" both Growley and Moosebridge shouted.

"Yeah. She is charged with conspiracy, as far as I know. Press conference will start in ten minutes. Mike has already arrived at the ZPD. Just get yourselves presentable; we'll talk once you reach the studio." With that, he left the office.

Moosebridge looked at Growley, who looked like she'd just seen a ghost. "What the hell …," she said slowly.

"We'll find out what this is all about," Moosebridge said, rising from his chair. "Get yourself a blazer and let Meggie apply some make-up. We don't have time to ponder on what's happening."

"Right," Growley said, getting up, too. "Fortunately, I'm always prepared."

* * *

 **"** **Felinae Homestead" Apartment House, The Otterton Apartment, Rainforest District, Zootopia**

Natalie Otterton entered the apartment, closed the door and leaned against the wall next to it with a sigh.

The workload was slowly, but surely, catching-up with her. She was absolutely dead on her feet.

She had she been forced to run her husband's florist's shop after his disappearance. She had to care about her children Shawn and Francis. She still had to deal with the usual household chores.

And on top of that, her husband's lifelong dream, the florist's shop, was gradually coming apart at the seams.

To say that business in his shop had been slow was an understatement. Business was virtually non-existent.

She had seen no prey mammals the whole day, only a few predators. Each and every one of them had looked harassed and the worse for wear, and they had spent little money on few flowers. The reason for the peculiar absence of prey mammals became obvious when she spotted a poster she had completely overlooked when unlocking the shop in the morning.

It was a plain white poster which bore, in fat, black letters, the following slogan:

 **Zootopians!**

 **Defend Yourselves!**

 **Don't Buy From Predators!**

No wonder most mammals had shunned the shop.

She had taken down the poster, then she had gone to the back to brew herself a cup of tea.

And when she returned to the shop proper, somebody had replaced the poster.

Three times she had torn down the poster, three times it had been replaced almost immediately. And she had never been able to catch the culprit who was responsible for this impudence.

Someone had been watching the shop the whole time, making sure that the harassment of her and her husband's livelihood would continue unimpeded.

In the end, after the third attempt, she had stopped trying to stop the mammals, whoever they were. She was just too tired.

Too tired to deal with the constant harassment. Too tired to deal with the constant prejudice.

Too tired to care about her own well-being.

 _Come on, Natalie! You need to eat something! Starving yourself is going to help no-one._

She wished Emmitt was there. He had always found ways to cheer her up.

She sorely missed him.

The apartment was empty, which surprised her for a second, until she remembered that her sister, who had volunteered to help her with childcare, had promised to take her two boys to Central Park today. They wouldn't return before seven in the evening. She sincerely hoped their day had been better than hers had been.

With a groan, Natalie pushed herself off of the wall, walking over to the kitchen. Opening her fridge, looking at the food it contained, she decided that for today, a smoothie would have to suffice. She simply was too tired to prepare a wholesome dinner for herself.

Switching on the radio, she hoped that the latest in pop music would cheer her up. But even this wasn't working in her favor today. Because instead of soothing music, a female newscaster was currently giving her report.

" _…_ _are still waiting for the Chief of Police, Adrian Bogo, to appear. So far, all we have are rumors._ "

Another voice, a male one, was heard: " _What do those rumors say? Do they revolve around Mayor Bellwether?_ "

" _They revolve around her exclusively_." The female again. " _The ZPD issued a statement that today, at around five pm, the Mayor had been arrested. No further information has been given, so we don't know the reason yet. A ZPD spokesmammal announced that Chief Bogo would give details on the case, the reason for the arrest. All we can do now is wait for him to appear._ "

" _The main problem Zootopia is facing right now is the ever-increasing number of predators turning savage. Is it possible that there is a connection there?_ "

" _That's the possible reason mentioned the most around here. In fact, it's virtually the only reason anyone here can think of_."

" _Just this week, Mayor Bellwether had announced a motion to strengthen control over predators. There has even been talk about a device currently in construction, which would allow predators to live next to prey without posing a possible threat to them_."

" _You're right, but the Mayor has been shallow on the details. Nobody knows what kind of device we're talking about, nor how it will work. And the fact remains that among the 865,000 predators living in Zootopia, only a few dozen have turned savage so far. Detractors have said that the administration's attempt at controlling the situation is like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut_."

" _But it is true that savage predators have posed a threat lately_."

" _That's certainly true, yet those detractors say that the numbers are so few and so well-contained, that it would be counter-productive to impose laws on such a large number of citizens_."

Natalie looked at the radio, the smoothie in her paw forgotten.

The Mayor has been arrested? Talk about laws against predators? Rumors?

What the hell was going on?

* * *

 **"** **The Watering Hole" Bar, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

"Howdy, Freddie!" Reginald Pocock looked at the new arrival with a smile while dropping the rag with which he had polished the bar. "The usual?"

"Yeah, and make it a tall one," Frederick Delgato said. "And a beer." He sat down on one of the bar stools with a sigh.

While the tiger barkeeper was pulling the beer, he asked: "That bad?"

"You have no idea, Reg. ZPD's still doing nothing, and nobody's looking for a middle-aged lion who's well-versed in paw-to-paw combat."

"Not even the security companies?"

Delgato snorted. "They're all run by prey. What do you expect?"

"Shit!" Pocock sighed. "It gets worse."

"No kidding!"

While waiting for the barkeeper to finish pulling the beer and pouring him a tall scotch, Delgato looked around. The bar, usually one of the more crowded ones in Savanna Central, was almost completely deserted. Apart from Delgato, only a couple of weasels were sitting in a booth along the back wall. "Business seems slow," Delgato commented.

"That's the understatement of the year," Pocock said matter-of-factly. "Then again, it's not that surprising."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen the posters adorning several shop windows here?"

Delgato shook his head. "I had other worries on my mind."

"I understand. However … no, it's better if I just show you." He placed the two glasses in front of Delgato, then he knelt down to take something from under the counter. "My first thought was to simply throw it into the trash can, but I had a hunch that you might come here today, so I kept it to show it to you. What do you think?"

Delgato looked at the poster with a frown. " _Zootopians! Defend Yourselves! Don't_ … you gotta be kiddin'!"

"Nice, isn't it?"

"Who did this?" Delgato examined the poster. " _PPS_ … what the heck's that supposed to be?"

"They call themselves the Prey Protection Society. Little more than a bunch of prejudiced, self-righteous, violent prey, with way too much money at their disposal and way too much time on their paws. Seems like they've have made it their lifetime ambition to make the lives of predators a living hell. I watched them place the posters on most shops owned by predators here."

"A minor case of Damage to Property, a small fine, maybe a few hours of community work," Delgato said automatically.

"Do you honestly think they care that it's illegal, Freddie? They do it anyway! They probably know that the police is doing nothing about them. When you call the ZPD right now, all they tell you is that they're really low on officers, and that they'd call back as soon as someone is available. But they never do. Seems like they cannot be bothered with petty things like criminal mischief at the moment." He looked at Delgato. "I knew them showing guys like you the door would bite them sooner or later."

"So you just tore it off?"

"I did. Ten minutes later, a sheep and a pig turned up, trying to put a new poster in place. Which was when I showed them just how long a tiger's claws really are."

"You _attacked_ _them?_ "

Pocock snorted. "Attack? Certainly not! The situation's bad enough without predators attacking prey without having turned savage before. All I did was ask them to refrain from putting the poster up, and threaten them with bodily harm, should they do it anyway."

"What did they do?"

Pocock shrugged. "Must have made quite an impression on the pair, because they ran. But the pig shouted at me that they would call the police. But, seeing as the ZPD's staffing level is so thin right now, I guess they don't have the time to deal with me."

"I rather think they know what they're doing is illegal, so they're afraid to go to the ZPD."

"Maybe." Pocock looked at the poster and sighed. "Anyway, it feels like Zootopia isn't a nice place for predators to live in anymore."

Delgato gave a low-pitched growl. "And where to? Reg, I was born and raised in Zootopia! I have left this city a grand total of seven times, five of which were on ZPD duty or Academy-related. This is my home! I don't think I could settle in Deerbrooke County or the Tri-Burrows!" He picked up his scotch and downed it quickly. "Another one, please."

"At once."

Delgato picked up his glass of beer and took a big gulp. The three weasels in the background ignored him completely; they were deeply engrossed in a heated conversation, and if their facial expressions were any indication, the topic they were talking about was less than pleasant. Given the shady reputation of weasels, probability was high that they were meddling in some less-than-legal affairs. Delgato watched them for a few seconds before deciding that he didn't care. He no longer was a police officer, probably never would be again, so whether or not these weasels were involved in illicit activity simply was of no concern to him. In addition to that, Delgato thought, was it prejudice like that - weasels being considered slippery and untrustworthy, therefore promptly assuming that any weasel you saw was up to no good - which had turned the situation between predators and prey into such an unbearable mess. After all, because a tiny number of predators had turned savage for unknown reason, the prey in Zootopia were about to dish out some collective punishment to all predators.

Suddenly all concepts of right and wrong, everything Delgato had ever believed in, had gone out the window.

He took another sip. It was probably best to not think about it too much. The thought alone was much too depressing.

He looked up at the TV screen hanging from the wall instead. It showed a rerun of a popular TV series, where a group of mammals, among them a somewhat angry looking walrus wearing a black beret and a hyperactive wolf who, for some reason, was missing an eyebrow, tried to prove or disprove urban myths. This particular episode showed them trying to rip the rear axle from under a car with a strong cable, as shown in a popular movie from the seventies.

"Won't work with police cruisers, that's for sure," Delgato said, taking another gulp.

"What won't work?" Pocock asked, placing the next glass of scotch in front of Delgato.

"Hooking up a cable and hoping it would yank the rear axle out from under a police car." He pointed at the screen. "Might work on some of the cruisers for smaller mammals, but not on our heavy cruisers."

"Why?"

"Hello? Have you seen one? These things can carry up to four rhinos! They weigh more than ten metric tons! They have hybrid drives, four electric motors plus two turbocharged petrol engines, and can put out more than 2,000 bhp! No cable in the world will be able to withstand …"

Suddenly, the image on the TV screen changed, along with a short jingle. The image of the remote-controlled police car was replaced by that of a koala bear wearing an ill-fitting maroon suit. " _We interrupt the current program for a special broadcast_ ," the male koala said. " _The ZPD had just announced that Zootopia's Mayor, Dawn Bellwether, has been arrested. No further information is available at this stage. We're switching over to the ZPD headquarters at City Central, where a press conference is scheduled to begin in a few minutes_."

Delgato looked away from the screen, his face showing complete and utter incomprehension. A look at Pocock revealed a similar facial expression.

"What the …?"

* * *

 **Zootopia Municipal Correctional Facility, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

As per custom, the three principal meals in Zootopia's largest prison were served in the mess hall; meals were usually shared by all prisoners, with the exception of those in solitary confinement,. This was why Madge Badger was sitting at a table, watching another inmate with growing irritation.

If you didn't know it, you'd never have guessed that Leodore Lionheart was just as much a prisoner as she was. But he was, and as such, he was in an even worse position than she was. As the instigator of the Missing Mammals affair, he had been sentenced to ten years, whereas she, as his mere accessory, had been sentenced to two-and-a-half years.

Yet he didn't behave like an inmate. More like a tourist on an extended vacation.

He was "holding court," there was no other expression for it. Mammals approached him - other inmates, sometimes even guards - to have a conversation with him. Most asked him about some legal counsel, others for background information on certain Very-Important-Mammals of Zootopia, yet others wanted to discuss the latest football scores with him. And he responded to each of them with the same smile, the same patience.

As if he was the prison's official counselor.

The strangest thing about it was that he never tried to let this fact work into his favor.

From Day One of his imprisonment, six weeks ago, the guards had offered him quite a lot of amenities, only for him to reject them all. He was, for all instants and purposes, just your usual, everyday convict.

It seemed like he had accepted his fate with a certain fatalism. Which wasn't all that surprising, given the fact that he was still young enough to return to his former occupation after his release. He might even be able to run for a seat on the City Council again. Despite his criminal record, his future life probably wasn't in any serious jeopardy.

Unlike hers. In contrast to Lionheart, she would hit rock bottom when she left the prison. Unlike him, she had no savings, no job, no future whatsoever. And nobody would hire an ex-convict, especially someone whose arrest had happened under the very eyes of the public.

Lionheart's future probably held some inconvenience. In Badger's future, she saw nothing but trouble.

"What's the matter, Honey?" Lionheart asked when he finally joined her at their table. "You seem distraught."

Badger rolled her eyes "I told you a thousand times, Lionheart, only my friends may call me Honey."

Lionheart blinked. "Ah. My mistake. I thought that, given the fact that we share a table in this mess hall, we would at least be on friendly terms."

"And that's at least the thousandth time you told me _that_ ," Badger replied irritably.

Lionheart shrugged. "I'm merely trying to be friendly."

"No, you're not. You're trying to be _over_ friendly."

He still looked at her, but his expression changed drastically. Every trace of friendliness left the lion in an instant. "I'm not, to the contrary. But if you really want to spend your time here moping, bemoaning your fate, instead of socializing and trying to get others to understand your problems, maybe even let them try and help fixing it, be my guest." He got up again.

Badger sighed. "Why do you feel the need to come over and pester me?"

"Pester you? Refresh my memory, when have I ever pestered you?"

Badger had enough. "Fine. Feel free to talk to all and sundry. But unless you want me to bite you, leave me out of your grand schemes."

She had hoped to goad Lionheart into leaving her alone, but he simply sat down again. "So that's what you think I'm doing."

Badger snorted. "Of course. You're a politician, you're always scheming."

"Excuse me?" Lionheart made an encompassing gesture. "Do you see any politicians here? Any political discussion? Any political _opportunities_." He made a pause. "Face it, Doctor, I'm just as much a prisoner as everyone else here."

"Yeah, right! You, the mighty Mayor, the most important mammal in all of Zootopia …"

"Do you know what I did for a living before I became the Mayor?"

Badger was taken aback by this sudden question, this sudden change in topic. "Uh, I have no idea. Teacher? Administrative official?"

Lionheart shook his head. "I was a judge."

"A judge?"

Lionheart made another encompassing gesture. "Behold the beauty of my work! Almost forty percent of the inmates in here were sent here by me."

He closed the gap to Badger, who shrank back immediately, suddenly and uncomfortably reminded of his fit of rage in Cliffside Asylum, shortly before they were arrested. But his voice was silent and calm when he continued. "The reason I'm trying my damndest to socialize with my fellow inmates is that if I don't, probability is high that someone tries to do me in. I'm the reason they're in here. Some might be after my blood. And if they are, they're probably going to get it. Despite the claws and the fangs, I know next to nothing about self-defense." He made a pause. "All I'm trying to do is _stay alive_!"

Surprised, Badger looked around, taking in the other prisoners. And while most of them looked at Lionheart with a look of indifference, one or two eyed Lionheart with what can only be described as loathing.

She took a deep breath. "It can't be that bad."

"No, it's even worse. Just so you know, I received three anonymous death threats in less than five hours when I came here. The Warden takes them seriously, and so do I."

Badger gave a grunt. "So, you need to survive. Tough luck! We all do. It's no easier for me. Or do you think I'm spared, just because I'm a girl?"

"Did you receive a death threat yet?"

She hesitated. "No."

"I rest my case. For the record, I've received seventeen so far."

Badger rolled her eyes. "At least you'll probably leave the prison before I do."

"You think so? I disagree. The current administration isn't too predator-friendly, and I doubt Smellwether likes me enough to grant me a pardon. No, I guess I'll have to ride out the full ten years, regardless of what I do. I don't think they'll release me early, even if I'm on my very best behavior."

"But when you leave, you can still be …"

Lionheart snorted. "Oh, please, don't give me the 'you-were-a-Mayor,-you-are-well-cared-for' crap!"

"But you are!"

"I'm not! My days as a politician are over. Nobody will trust me enough again to vote for me, ever. I will never make it back into the City Council. And I can certainly never work as a judge again, and I doubt someone will want me as their lawyer. My career is stone cold dead."

Badger looked at him, crestfallen. If he was speaking the truth, his fate might even be worse than hers. Then again … "At least you'll be able to survive afterwards, unlike me. I have nothing. No job, no savings, nothing."

"And you think I do?"

She stared at him, flabbergasted. "You don't?"

He managed to give her a smile, but it was taking him a visible effort. "The common misconception about Mayors. Most people seem to think that once you are a Mayor, you've got it made. Most seem to think that you make a fortune doing your job. Fact of the matter is, you don't. Yes, your salary is huge, but so are your expenses. You may be able to live a life without worries, but you certainly don't amass riches while in office." He made a pause. "Of course, this changes the moment you leave the office. When you do, you're granted a substantial pension, two-thirds of your last salary actually. And since your expenses go down drastically, you can become a wealthy mammal in a matter of less than two years."

He leaned back, bringing more distance between him and Badger. "However, since I have to suffer this … inconvenience, I lost the right to a Mayor's pension. Right now, I'm no longer in office, so I get nothing. And I will continue to get nothing, even after I'm released. Of course I may get the judge's pension, but right now, even that is doubtful." His face took on a dreamy expression. "And given the fact that some of the organizations which sponsored me want their money back, I'll probably be up to my neck in debt by the time I am released. I had to sell my hacienda in the Pawaiian Islands already. My cars are gone, as is my yacht, and my estate is probably up next. And when it's gone, there's not much left. My wife is currently working double shifts to make ends meet, to support herself and our three children. I simply can't do it." He made yet another pause. "Please, be so kind and enlighten me, Doctor, where's my advantage over you?"

She just stared at him, open-mouthed. Lionheart looked around. "So excuse me for trying to be friendly. That's all I have left, trying to be helpful and friendly to others. Helping them survive." He made another pause. "Maybe this'll help _me_ survive."

He straightened himself, looking at the serving counter. "Hope they'll get a move on. I'm hungry."

Badger had the feeling of being doused with ice water. In her arrogance, she had assumed that he was much better off than she was, when in fact it seemed to be the exact opposite.

Yet he didn't complain, he had simply stated the facts.

Facts which, when everything unfolded exactly as he seemed to expect it, would lead to him being dishonored, bankrupt, with a family in disgrace and no future whatsoever.

 _I'm such a moron!_ , Badger thought.

Opening her mouth to render an apology, she found that Lionheart wasn't even looking at her. Instead, he was peering over the serving counter into the kitchen behind. Badger followed his example, only to see a strange sight.

The serving counter and the kitchen looked just as usual, but the absence of mammals was highly suspicious.

And they weren't the only inmates to notice this.

"What's going on?" someone asked.

"Where is everyone?" another one demanded to know.

"I want me munchies!" a third one shouted. Others joined in, and soon a chant was beginning to form. But before it had gained too much momentum, a single voice silenced them all:

"SHUT IT!"

One of the guards, a rhino, had just entered the mess hall, seen the ruckus, and acted accordingly. "Sit down!" he bellowed, "and shut your pie-holes!" He walked towards the serving counter in long strides and pounded the counter so hard, Badger was secretly surprised that the thing didn't collapse on the spot. "What's goin' on in the kitchen!"

A young-looking ocelot was poking his head through the wide door. "You won't believe it!" he shouted with unconcealed excitement. "They solved the Savage Predators case!"

The rhino blinked. "Really?"

"They say so on ZNN. Mayor Bellwether has been arrested!"

Badger looked at Lionheart, only to find that he was staring at her, his face looking just as incredulous as she was feeling. Both said the same thing at the same time:

" _Smellwether?!_ "

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Records Department, City Center, Zootopia**

With a sigh, Benjamin Clawhauser placed the last files in the filing cabinet and looked around. His workplace looked pristine, apart from the occasional sprinkles littering every tabletop, shelf and filing cabinet.

Working at Records probably was the most tedious job the ZPD had to offer. Safe, yes, but tedious. When doing parking duty, you at least had the occasional complaint to deal with. Here, nothing was alleviating the dull job - even radio reception was dismal, due to being in the basement of the huge building. On top of that, his phone had run out of juice two hours ago, and he had forgotten the charging cable.

Out of sheer boredom, he had spent the last four days sorting all the files into an alphabetical order. Given the fact that this meant dealing with tens of thousands of files, he had expected this to take at least two weeks.

He had needed four days.

Clawhauser would have been the first one to admit that he wasn't the most diligent of mammals, still even his penchant for distraction hadn't hindered him to finish the task much quicker than anyone, including himself, had anticipated.

Not that he had seen anyone the whole day.

Which was even worse than the boredom. While he had been much slimmer and much more athletic in the past, he had never been the best and most physically fit mammal, he had never been the greatest investigator, he had never been the go-to-guy when things got rough.

But as a receptionist, as a dispatcher, he was unrivaled.

At the Records department, his talent was going to waste. Everyone knew it, but nobody seemed to want to do anything about it.

He was missing his place at the front desk. He was missing the constant coming and going of the most diverse mammals you could possibly imagine. He was missing the small talk, the occasional banter with his workmates, the corny jokes, the social interaction.

Here, only his donuts were keeping him company. And he had even run out of those an hour ago.

Hardly anyone ever came down here for a bit of small talk. And when someone did find his or her way down into the basement, it was usually only to dump a new stack of files on his desk.

He looked at his wristwatch. Another thirty minutes, and he would be able to clock out, wrapping up another lost day.

He sighed again and started swiping the sprinkles off his desktop and into the trash can.

When, quite suddenly, the door leading into his office opened with a bang, startling him.

Thomas Higgins, the hippo officer and orderly to Chief Bogo, appeared in the doorframe, panting heavily. "You need to see this, Ben," he managed to gasp.

"What? What's wrong, Tom?"

"Bogo's staging a press conference now. They solved the Savage Predators case. Guess who's behind it!"

"No idea."

"Mayor Bellwether."

Clawhauser guffawed. "Sure. The sheep was …"

"I was there when we arrested her!"

This gave Clawhauser pause. "Really?"

"Yes. And you'll never guess who made it all possible."

"Who?" Clawhauser was almost screaming. Higgins was well-known for liking to keep others on tenterhooks for as long as possible.

"Judy Hopps."

"Judy?" He let out a whoop. "She's back?"

"She is. And she cracked the case. She's with Bogo - they're going to address the press soon. Thought you might want to see this."

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Press Conference Assembly, City Center, Zootopia**

Adrian Bogo looked around slowly. The whole press gaggle was present - every major network seemed to have sent a few reporters and cameramammals. So were most of the officers working at Precinct One. He counted their number in his head and had to work hard to hide his sigh. They were so few … He needed to do something about it, and quickly.

 _Mental note to self: Request reinstatement of predator officers. Let's see if the City Council is more inclined to listen to reason now._

But first …

He approached the lectern and cleared his throat, trying his hardest to ignore the constant camera flashes. "Ladies and Gentlemammals," he began, "the rumors you may have heard already are true. Today, around 5 pm, our dispatcher, Officer Christine Caballus, received a distress call from Mayor Dawn Bellwether, about a savage fox in the Natural History Museum and a gravely injured police officer. Upon arrival at the scene, however, the officer was mostly unscathed, and the fox was all but savage. As it turns out, it had all been a ruse, instigated by Mayor Bellwether. We have evidence that she might be the mastermind behind the predators turning savage. We also have evidence that she intended to use those as the means to establish a dictatorial rule over Zootopia. So we arrested her, and she'll be charged with so many crimes, it'll make the heads of most mammals spin."

He made a pause, and when several reporters raised their paws or hooves, already shouting questions, he held up his own hoof. "Unfortunately, this is about as far as my knowledge about this case goes. I will now give the floor to the police officer who made the arrest possible. She will be able to explain everything behind this ineffable affair." He pointed at Hopps, standing next to the lectern. Wilde was still standing next to her, supporting her. "Officer Judy Hopps."

Without hesitation, Hopps approached the lectern while Bogo stepped aside. With the help of Wilde, she managed to climb the lectern, not without hissing and clenching of teeth. It was a sorry sight, and that a fox was lending her a helping paw seemed to be even more incongruous.

Finally, she had reached the top. Trying to stand on her own and realizing that her leg wouldn't properly support her weight, she simply sat down.

And looked to the floor.

The reporters in front of her were shouting countless questions, hoping that she would have answers for them.

But Hopps refused to acknowledge the presence of even one of them. Eyes closed, ears droopy, she sat on top of the lectern, with the red fox one step behind it, half-hidden behind the lectern. She said no word, she moved no muscle, she simply sat there with her head bowed.

The posture of a repentant sinner.

Gradually, the noise died down. When it had become almost completely silent, Hopps finally looked up and opened her purple eyes.

* * *

 **And then she did … what? Hey, the cliffhanger is back!**

 **The "Zootopians!" poster mentioned in this chapter was, of course, inspired by the atrocious "Deutsche! Wehrt Euch! Kauft nicht bei Juden!" posters used in the Third Reich by the Nazis to harass the Jewish population from 1933 onwards. To be honest, I hated the very idea of using a poster like that in this story, but as a plot device, it's priceless. (I guess it goes without saying that I abhor Nazis and racism in all its manifestations! If I had my way, earth itself should open up and swallow the lot! Nuff said!)**

 **Reginald Innes Pocock was a real person. He was a British taxonomist, famous for subordinating the tiger under the genus** ** _Panthera_** **, giving it the scientific name** ** _Panthera tigris_** **. Thought it would be fitting for a tiger.**

 **Despite the serious tone in this chapter, I couldn't help throwing a bit of fun into it. The TV series watched by Delgato is, of course, Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters," one of my all-time favorites. It was a sad, sad day when Discovery Channel announced the cancellation of the series. I just loved seeing them blow crap up! The episode mentioned herein was called "Explosive Decompression." It was the twelfth episode overall, and one of the three myths they put to the test, named "Rear Axle," revolved around the question whether it was possible to yank the rear axle from underneath a driving car, as depicted in George Lucas's 1973 movie, "American Graffiti." (Just in case you are curious, their verdict was that the myth is busted; even with a ridiculously weakened rear axle and a cable much stronger than the one used in the movie, all the cable did to the car was rip the axle itself loose, still it was held in place by the wheel wells. On top of that, even a cable twice as strong wasn't able to withstand the enormous forces at work there and snapped violently. Jamie "When in doubt - C4!" Hyneman and Adam "I reject your reality and substitute my own!" Savage concluded that a ramp was used to lift the car high enough for the cable to yank the axle from underneath the car.)**

 **Well, the next chapter will probably take at least as long as this one, because I'm trying one of the staples of today's movies: one continuous monologue, interwoven with scenes from different locations and with different personnel. Sounds like fun to me, but it will probably be tough to keep track of all the different locations and mammals involved. It's probably going to be a big chapter, quite long and convoluted.**

 **Until then! Thanks for reading, and please review!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	3. Chapter Three - Version 2

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **FIIINNNAAALLLLYYY THE CATWEAZLE HAS COME BACK TO THIS STORY!**

 **Yep, I'm done, after weeks and weeks of pondering! Never thought writing simple stuff could be so hard! But it's my own fault, actually. I wanted to cram so much into this chapter, it just became huge, and suddenly I had so many different topics to juggle, I was close to losing sight of the main focus of the story.**

 **My main problem, however, was that I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but I had no idea how to say it. Try writing an honest apology without sounding sappy or sanctimonious, I dare you! This required so much tinkering and fiddling, so many rewrites and corrections, it drove me nuts for weeks. But now, FINALLY, I'm done with the longest and most important chapter of "Wound!" The penultimate chapter as well - there is only one epilogue, which may also be quite lengthy, and the story is done!**

 **These are the story's stats so far: Almost 1000 views, 14 reviews, 16 favorites and 32 alerts. Thanks for sticking with me through this mayhem, through this ultra-long wait!**

 **Shouts go out to Galaxyexplorer74, Combat Engineer, Foxlover91, DSLeo, niraD, HawkTooth, hpalex13, and Dirtkid123 for reviewing this story.**

 **Thanks to niraD, this story is also featured on TV Tropes! Awesome! Thank you so very much! Now, if I can only get my stuff published on the ZNN homepage … (Edit: DrummerMax64 made it happen in the meantime!)**

 **There were two quotes hidden within the first chapter of this story, one from the book (not the movie) "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," one from the movie (not the book) "The Hunt for Red October." Funny enough, nobody was able to find them so far. If you can't manage by the time I'll publish the next chapter, I will reveal the quotes myself, because it makes little sense to keep the secret after a story is finished.**

 **For all those of you who know the chapter's "motto song," you'll notice that it seems to be ill-fitting. After all, it's about a woman who apologizes to her lover for hurting him. Then again, she doesn't apologize, because, "Hey, I hurt you, but guess what? Tough luck! It's just me, and I ain't gonna change my way! So get ready for more pain!" Probably one of the most cynical songs I know. But when you take the given verses out of the song's context, a really strong apology remains.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Three

 **Version 2**

 _I'm sorry for the times that I made you scream, for the times that I killed your dreams, for the times that I made your whole world crumble, for the times that I made you cry, for the times that I told you lies, for the times that I watched and let you stumble._

Anouk: "Nobody's Wife" (Written by Anouk Teeuwe, Bart van Veen and Satindra Kalpoe, from the album "Together Alone," Dino Music BMG, 1997)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Press Conference Assembly, Backstage Area, City Center, Zootopia**

Adrian Bogo had hardly stepped down from the lectern when he was approached by his orderly, Thomas Higgins. "Chief?"

"What is it, Sergeant?" Bogo said silently.

"Officer Rhinowitz just reported in. Just like Ms. Hopps told …"

" _Officer_ Hopps."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Officer Hopps." Bogo fixed his icy glare on Higgins. "She never left the ZPD. Understood?"

Higgins thought about this for a few seconds, then he nodded. "Of course. Well, just like _Officer_ Hopps told us," he put an extra emphasize on her rank, "we found three rams along the subway line. Preliminary investigation identifies them as Doug Ramses, a well-known chemist, and Woolter White and Jesse Shearman, two, small-time thugs and criminals. They were all the worse for wear. Ramses is suffering from whiplash - according to his own words, he received an almighty kick in the back, no doubt by courtesy of Officer Hopps -, White was found near the lever of a railway switch, with several broken ribs and some heavy bruises. Shearman suffered some bruises as well, plus he was missing all his fleece along the tummy."

"Aha. How did _that_ happen?"

"No idea."

"Hm. What about the subway station near the museum?"

"Looks worse than it actually is. The subway car seems to have contained several propane tanks which ruptured during the crash and blew up violently, but there wasn't all that much in the car itself or in its vicinity to sustain the fire, so we had a huge conflagration and not much else. The car's shell is bent along the middle, but almost completely intact otherwise. However, everything in it was burnt to a crisp. The damage to the station itself is superficial. A bit of bricklaying, a new coat of paint, and it's as good as new. At least that's what Major Saltador from ZFD told me. It didn't look that good to me, but he's the expert."

Bogo nodded while looking at Hopps, who had reached the top of the lectern in the meantime. Now she was just sitting there, looking down to the ground, without moving so much as a muscle. "Good. Anything else?"

"Yes, sir. Doctor Peralta requested another scientist for his research group."

"Who is it?" Higgins told him the name. "Then why are you still standing here?"

"Sir," Higgins said reluctantly, "you know where she is, right?"

"I know, and I don't care. I told Peralta he can have access to all resources imaginable, can consult with any expert he can think of. And if he thinks she's the one to ask, you will make sure he can. Are we clear?"

Higgins straightened himself. "Yes, sir!"

"So, get a move on fetching her! This is an emergency!"

"At once, sir!" Higgins saluted, turned around and left the building at a run. Bogo looked at Hopps again, who had yet to begin her explanation.

When she had entered the ZPD, when she had joined the officers at Precinct One, Bogo had read her résumé as well as her graduation certificate from the Zootopia Police Academy. And at first glance, he had liked what he had gotten to see. Her college diploma was exemplary, she had become valedictorian of her ZPA class, her grades were outstanding and her physical abilities astonishing, given the fact that she was so much smaller than most other cadets. With an evaluation like that, it wasn't difficult to predict that great things would be in her future. He had been looking at the makings of a true career officer.

However, if there was one thing Bogo was proud of, it was his ability to read between the lines. Something about the rabbit had just sounded off. This was when he had called an old friend of his, Major Ursula Friedkin, one of the instructors at the Academy. And the polar bear had painted a completely different picture of Hopps.

According to Friedkin, Hopps may have graduated top of her class and may even have garnered her respect, but as a team player, Hopps was more than ill-suited. As an example, Friedkin had told him how Hopps had scaled the frigid ice wall during the final physical evaluation, using her fellow cadets as literal stepping stones with absolutely ruthless efficiency. The word "ruthless" had actually come up during their conversation a couple of times. Friedkin described her as selfish and overambitious, with an unquenchable thirst to prove herself, a huge ego, almost ruthless aggression, and no qualms to use everything and everybody to get ahead, without ever looking back at those she used and abused on her way to the top. At the same time, she was young and incredibly naïve. A VERY dangerous combination.

"You need to cut her down to size, Adrian," she had said at one point. "She may be small, but she thinks she can do everything, even things she'll never be able to do. She thinks she can move mountains, she thinks she rules the world. The rate she's going, the first hardened criminal she'll come across and cannot subdue immediately will maim her for life! Physical or mentally, maybe both. You need to protect her from herself!"

This was why Bogo had assigned her to parking duty during her first day, something he would have done anyway. Judy may not have known it, but it was just his usual way of evaluating new recruits. Every officer who had started his career at Precinct One under Chief Bogo had spent their first four weeks of duty putting tickets on parked cars. Nobody underwent this ordeal without being cut down to size. Using this method - and his almost proverbial dismissive approach towards rookies -, Bogo had always been able to cure new recruits from any feelings of hubris, selfishness, and over-ambitiousness they may have displayed.

Until Hopps arrived. She had proven Friedkin right almost immediately, when she had demanded to be assigned to one of the Missing Mammals cases, even stressing the point of having been valedictorian of her class. And when, only one day later, she apprehended a thief she should never have pursued in the first place, Bogo knew he had a ticking time bomb on his hooves.

But then, the Missing Mammals Case happened. A case which she, along with the help of Nicholas Wilde, solved in record time, achieving things no-one else at the ZPD had been able to do.

It had been her proudest moment, and she had displayed that pride afterwards. Which was perfectly fine, in Bogo's opinion. After all, she _had_ done the work, and there was no officer at the ZPD who had begrudged her the plaudits she had received for solving this difficult case.

Up until that fateful press conference afterwards.

Hopps had never been the same since. The overambitious rabbit ceased to exist, to be replaced with a meek, depressed rabbit who looked, and obviously felt, very out-of-place at the ZPD. Her resignation weeks later had merely been a consequence of everything that had happened. Bogo had tried his hardest to act surprised that day, but deep in his heart he had known what she would do. She had simply seen no other alternative. Nor had he, come to think of it.

And now she had solved the Savage Predators Case as well, again with the help of Wilde.

But now, everything was different.

Had she the right to be proud of what she had achieved? Certainly.

Had she the right to tell everyone just how good she was? Probably.

Did she any of those things? Not even remotely.

The Judy Hopps sitting atop the lectern was a changed mammal, in looks as well as in appearance. Gone was the overambitious, selfish, slightly ruthless rabbit, to be replaced by a modest, meek rabbit who was well aware of the fact that she had made a major mistake. A mistake she was now willing to take the blame for. A rabbit who was well aware of the fact that she hadn't been able to achieve success on her own, who was willing to take a step back to let others receive the plaudits.

A rabbit well aware of her flaws and shortcomings.

This wasn't the overambitious, yet clueless, bunny he had met and despised three months ago. She had matured; the past events had truly humbled her.

Bogo hadn't needed to cut her down to size; life itself, the events of the last couple of months, had done that for him.

And through this, she had become larger than ever. Larger than life itself.

 _She has learned a lot_ , Bogo thought. _In a very short amount of time._

For one, she took her time to begin to speak this time. Head bowed down as if looking at a point in front of her - which she couldn't have, since her eyes were closed -, she refused to acknowledge the press. Her posture looked like that of a repentant sinner, of someone who was about to receive a tongue-lashing and was okay with it.

 _Yes_ , Bogo thought, _this is the bunny who can achieve greatness_. _This is the valedictorian, living proof that anyone can be anything_.

 _I just wish she would start talking any time soon!_

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Press Conference Assembly, The Lectern, City Center, Zootopia**

Judy Hopps had no idea what she wanted to say.

Head bowed, eyes closed, she was racking her brain for an appropriate apology, for the right words to say to the public. She was well aware of the fact that this press conference could make or break her.

If she just responded to the questions, like she had done the first time, without acknowledging her own mistakes and flaws first, it might end up in a major catastrophe.

This was why she ignored the questions shouted at her. She had a lot of things to say, but she needed to say them on her own terms, not being manipulated by a press gaggle that was, ultimately, out for blood. Her own, or someone else's.

 _I need to apologize to so many, to hundreds of thousands of predators, for what I did. To Nick. Even to Gideon Grey. If I can manage to pull that off, it'll be nothing short of a miracle!_

 _Why not start at the beginning? With Gideon?_

She waited for the noise to die down. The questions slowly ebbed up, as everyone was obviously asking themselves what she was up to. Finally, when hardly anyone was talking anymore, she raised her head and opened her eyes. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, notepads and pens in paws or hooves, Dictaphones at the ready, waiting for her to explain what had happened. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

"When I was a kit, …"

* * *

 **Hopps Family Farm, Storage Shed, Bunnyburrow, Tri-Burrows**

Stu Hopps placed the last empty crate on the stack in the back shed and let out a huge sigh. "That's been dealt with. Thanks, Gid! Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to make it."

"No problem, Mr. H," Gideon Grey said. "Glad Ah could help ya, with you havin' no car an' all."

Stu smiled. "You want a beer?"

"Shan't say no to that." Gideon chuckled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Stu made a pause. "I just wonder where Judy went off to in such a hurry."

"No idea. It was all 'bout them Night Howlers, Ah guess."

"Yes. Every bunny knows they're dangerous, but if you wanna get rid of bugs, there's nothing better. You just need to steer clear of them."

"Well, Ah wouldn't touch 'em with a ten-foot-pole. The stuff _reeks_!"

"Is it that bad for foxes?"

"Ah don' know nothing about no other foxes, but Ah sure think they smell awful."

"I don't like the smell much myself, but since we started using them, our bug problems came to an end, so I'm not complaining."

"Go with what works, eh?"

"Something like that."

They left the shed and walked towards the entrance to the main building, when suddenly the door opened with a bang, and a very tall rabbit appeared. Seeing the two of them, Billy Hopps shouted: "Judy's on TV! Hurry up!" He disappeared again.

"Judy?" Stu frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Beats me." Both sped up their walk towards the front door. "Ah thought Billy was at university."

"He's spent the last few days here, but he'll return to university the day after tomorrow."

They entered the main building and walked straight to their cinema. It was no real cinema, of course, but a room with seats for more than two hundred mammals and a large viewscreen to be used in connection with a beamer sure looks like one, so every member of the Hopps family simply called the TV room the as such.

Upon entering the room, the first thing Gideon noted was that the place was packed. Most members of the Hopps family seemed to be present, their eyes glued to the screen. A screen which showed the enormous picture of the oldest daughter of Bonnie and Stu Hopps, sitting on top of a lectern, with her head bowed down. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the whole day, but Gideon instantly noticed a red piece of cloth wrapped around her right lower leg. "What's with the red cloth?" he asked the bunny sitting closest to the entrance.

Without looking at him, the bunny (probably Jenny, but he could have been mistaken) said: "She was limping. Looks like she's injured."

"Injured?" Stu asked. "What happened, Jen?"

"No idea. She hasn't said a word yet. All we heard was this buffalo. Seems to be the Chief of Police."

"What happened?"

"Looks like they arrested the Mayor."

"Yeah, they did it weeks ago."

"No, they arrested his replacement. She seems to be the culprit behind all the mess in Zootopia."

Stu looked at Gideon, who shrugged. "Can' make heads or tails o' that, Mr. H."

"Me neither," Stu managed to say, when suddenly, Judy raised her head and opened her eyes. Looking straight into the TV camera, she opened her mouth.

" _When I was a kit, I was scratched in the face by a bully_."

Gideon's jaw dropped. Was this what this was all about? Him bullying her, almost sixteen years ago? He had apologized to her, for crying out loud!

" _Ever since I was a tiny toddler, I had wanted to become a police officer_ ," Judy said. " _That's all I ever wanted, all I ever strove to become. I never seriously considered other career possibilities like farming or becoming a mechanic. So I naturally tried to act like a police officer, even at nine years of age. But on that particular day, I bit off more than I was able to chew. The bully, a red fox almost four times my size, overpowered me with ease, and he scratched my face to make sure I would never bother him again. Needless to say, since I don't know when to quit, I refused to give in that easily_.

" _Fast forward sixteen years, and I_ am _a police officer. The bully didn't succeed. The only thing he managed to do was to instill a certain distrust, even fear, towards foxes in me_."

She seemed to shrug. " _That this fear was completely unfounded, unfair even, became clear to me when I met the very same bully earlier today. And what do you know, today he's the best pastry chef in the Tri-Burrows, and he even became a business partner to my family. He's the most humble mammal you can possibly imagine. And he did what I failed to do at that moment: He apologized to me for being a jerk, all those years ago_.

" _I guess when it comes to being a jerk, I make him look like an amateur_.

" _Gideon Grey, I don't know if you see this, but if you do, please accept my apology for treating you like a jerk, for using you as a sorry excuse for my own bigotry, for my own prejudices. I'm very sorry for everything I did to you_."

Stu looked at Gideon, his face a mask of incredulity. An incredulity matched by the feeling Gideon had. "Did she harm you in any way?"

Gideon shook his head. "Not that Ah know of. Ah did her some harm, you 'eard her."

"I know." Stu shook his head. "But that's the past." Suddenly he grinned. "But hey, gratuitous advertisement! They'll overrun your shop now, I'm sure!"

Gideon had to grin, too. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

* * *

 **The "Wilde" Homestead, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

As usual after another round of chemotherapy, Vivian Wilde felt as if she had spent the last three hours in the tumble dryer. Every joint hurt, she felt nauseous, and she was shedding fur in copious amounts. And her headache was killing her.

The headache was the problem.

Surprisingly enough, it seemed that the colorectal carcinoma that had bothered her for almost four years, the tumor which doctors had been sure would kill her within two years, had been completely destroyed. But in response to her constant, nagging headaches, the doctors had subjected her to a CAT scan and detected what they assumed was a glioma, an aggressive type of brain tumor, with a very high mortality rate. There was no cure; radiation therapy would be iffy at best, chemotherapy was largely ineffective, and surgery was out of the question - the tumor was sitting at a location where any wrong incision could result in instant death. Surgery wasn't really an option anyway, given her very weakened state.

Three different kinds of tumors hadn't been able to bring her down, but this one might just do the trick.

With a sigh, Vivian sat down on her sofa, grabbing the remote. She would probably fall asleep while watching TV, but she had nothing else to do at the moment. With the pain in her joints, knitting was out of the question, she had already dealt with the usual household chores, and her persistent headache made the mere idea of reading preposterous.

When switching to ZNN, her first thought was that she was watching a rerun of the press conference where she had thought she had seen her only son, Nicholas Wilde, for she saw the very same bunny she saw three months earlier, literally sitting on top of a lectern. This time, however, she was wearing a pink flannel shirt instead of her police uniform. And she was talking about … foxes? She was even apologizing to one Gideon Grey, whoever that might be.

The bunny looked over her shoulder and down, towards somebody or something not in the frame. " _No, that's not Gideon Grey. This fine mammal is the reason I'm standing here, or rather sitting here_." She looked into the camera again. " _Without the help of this fox, I wouldn't even be here. I know that I'm the one credited with solving the Missing Mammals case, but I wouldn't have been able to solve the case on my own. Without him, the mammals would still be missing._ "

She made a pause, and the cameramammal took the opportunity to tilt the camera down towards the foot of the lectern. A slender, male red fox was standing there, looking up with an unmistakable expression of affection on his features. He was clad in an offensively green shirt which reminded Vivian of the wallpaper in her old home, combined with a dark necktie with stripes of dark blue and red. It was the very same fox Vivian had seen during the first press conference.

The very same fox who had led her to believe that her only son, Nicholas Wilde, had risen from the dead.

The bunny continued: " _His name is Nicholas Wilde, and he …_ "

Vivian gasped.

 _IT_ IS _HIM!_

The bunny droned on, introducing the fox to the pressmammals, but Vivian wasn't listening. She only had eyes for the fox. The cameramammal had reduced the zoom factor so that both he and the bunny were on the screen at the same time. The fox was standing behind the lectern and to the side, with a smirk on his face …

 _He's the spitting image of Jason!_

He was, and yet he wasn't. His face was so similar to her late husband, her heart ached simply from looking at him. He was just as slender as Jason Wilde had been, yet far from being as muscular. He was standing in the exact same, relaxed pose Jason had been famous for. Even his eyes had the same emerald hue.

But the smirk …

It was the exact same smirk which had countless customers in the night club lust after Vivian. The smirk she had used since her early childhood, the smirk she had perfected during her years working the bar at the night club.

The rabbit continued: " _About three months ago, I joined the ZPD as the first bunny cop in history. Since this was the case, I had the feeling that I had a lot to proof. I urged Chief Bogo to assign me to one of the Missing Mammals cases. It took some convincing, but he finally did. However, he made me tie my career to finding Mr. Emmitt Otterton, one of the missing mammals, an otter. I had 48 hours to find him. It was pretty much a do-or-die scenario - I don't find the otter, I have to turn in my badge._ "

She smiled. " _Most of you probably think that I should never have accepted such a kind of deal. And you would be perfectly right - I shouldn't have. I had no idea what I was in for, I had no idea just how much I was out of my depth. Chief Bogo certainly was well aware of this, and I guess he expected me to back down, to not take the bait, to refuse the deal. But I was so eager to proof myself that I willingly accepted what, in my eyes, was nothing more than a good challenge. It was only after having seen the case file that I fully understood just how big the hurdle was that I had to clear. I had nothing, no leads, no eye witnesses, no assistance from anyone, absolutely nothing. Add to this the fact that I'm from Bunnyburrow and had spent a grand total of about 50 hours in Zootopia, and you can imagine that I had no idea what to do, where to go, whom to ask_.

" _Fortunately, the case file contained a picture which linked Otterton to Nicholas Wilde, whom I had met by chance just the day before. And it is safe to say that we hadn't gotten along all that well._ " She grinned. " _Let's not mince words here: I despised him, and he probably dismissed me as useless, and maybe rightly so. Under normal circumstances, I would never have asked him to help me, but I was desperate. So I approached him, and when he flatly refused to lend me a helping paw, I even went so far as to coerce him into helping me_."

She made a pause. " _Yes, I was that desperate. I forced a mammal to help me, and I did so in the most devious way imaginable, by coercing him. In a manner of speaking, I blackmailed him, plain and simple, but in my mind, I was perfectly justified to do so. After all, I was dealing with a_ fox _, and as the redneck bunny from some carrot-choked Podunk that I am, I didn't know better than to treat foxes with contempt. Like so many mammals in Zootopia and all around the world, I considered Nicholas to be sneaky, shifty, and untrustworthy. So why should I have treated him with the respect that he deserves, that every mammal deserves? I simply hadn't been brought up to think that way, so I didn't_.

" _And then, to my surprise, he_ did _help me. Not because I had coerced him into helping me, but because he_ wanted _to help me. He stood up for me when no-one else did, he tried his hardest to solve the case, and through_ his _ideas,_ his _knowledge,_ his _abilities, we indeed managed to find all fourteen, or rather fifteen, missing mammals. I would_ never _have been able to do it on my own. Yes, I may have received all the credit for it, yet I have the feeling that I deserve very little of it. It was Nicholas Wilde who solved the case, with me having only a very small part in it. He had the right ideas, he had the knowledge I sorely lacked._

 _"_ _And somewhere along the way, I stopped considering him to be shifty, sneaky, and untrustworthy. I started seeing the mammal, not the fox. I started seeing an honest, trustworthy, hard-working individual who had been treated unfairly, even been bullied, for most of his life. I started seeing him not as a fox, but as a friend._ "

She lowered her head. " _And to show my gratitude, I threatened this friend with fox repellant_."

Vivian made a frown. What was that supposed to mean?

The bunny pointed at the assembled reporters. " _After the Missing Mammals case was solved, after the press conference, some of you asked me whether I had been threatened by the fox. Nothing could have been further from the truth. He didn't threaten me, he merely told me that I was wrong._ I _was the one who threatened him._ I _was the one reaching for the bottle of fox repellant._ I _was the bully,_ not _him. He had never been a bully, to the contrary. He has been bullied for most of his life, and the only thing I proved that day was that I was just as bigoted, just as prejudiced, just as outdated, as the worst bullies I have ever come across._

" _And for this, Nicholas Wilde deserves my sincerest apologies. Like I said before, he deserves all the plaudits I received for solving the Missing Mammals case. On top of that, I also owe him a debt of gratitude I can never repay, for he forgave me, when I had given him no reason to_.

" _Nicholas Wilde, you are a far better mammal than I can ever be_."

Vivian stared at the picture of the fox, standing slightly to the side, still looking up at the bunny, never once acknowledging the pressmammals, with tears running down her face.

"Oh, my Nicky!" she whispered.

" _However_ ," the bunny said, " _threatening Nicholas Wilde wasn't the worst thing I did that day. Not by a long shot._ "

* * *

 **The "LaGrande" Estate, Tundratown, Zootopia**

"Don Carlo?"

Carlo LaGrande heaved a sigh. "What is it, Raymond?"

"Uh, we received a phone call from Mr. Fuente. He told me that some mammals vandalized his shop."

The arctic shrew raised a bushy eyebrow. "His dry cleaner's shop?"

"Of course."

"This is a shop under our protection! Why was it vandalized? Whose assignment was it?" He looked at Massimiliano Puma, who was sitting next to him.

The cougar bowed his head. "That would be Percy and Ramirez, Don Carlo."

"Percy and Ramirez. Two reliable _soldati_." He turned to Raymond again. "As I'm sure you're aware, Signor Fuente is a very dear friend of mine. When they fail _him_ , they fail _me_. Tell me what made them fail _me_!

"Well, er, that's the problem." It was obvious that Raymond wasn't feeling comfortable - the polar bear was visibly hesitating. "Seems that some ZPD officers threatened to arrest them for loitering."

Now LaGrande raised both eyebrows. "The ZPD?" Looking at Puma again, he asked in a soft voice: " _Consigliere_ of mine, do you know of any change in the relationship between the ZPD and us?"

"If there was a change, I haven't been informed," Puma replied.

"Your contacts haven't told you anything?"

"No. Come to think of it, I haven't heard from them in a while."

"Contact them. We need to find out what this is all about."

"I will, Don Carlo, but I don't think I need to ask them. The reason should be obvious."

"Explain!"

Puma looked at Raymond. "Did Percy and Ramirez tell you who the officer was that threatened to arrest them?"

"All they told me was that it was two rams."

"Ah. Figures." He turned towards his Don. "Sir, I think what we see here are the excesses of what happened three months ago."

"You mean the aftermath of the press conference." LaGrande snorted. " _Sfrontatezza_! After all we have done for the city …"

"Sir, it doesn't matter at this point what we have done for the city. Atrocities have grown in number. You know this to be true, Don Carlo."

"But our position is fortified! No-one can do us any harm!"

"Not us as a whole, no. But our _soldati_ , individually, they can be harmed. And at this rate, it's only a matter of time until things become really uncomfortable. For us. For every predator in Zootopia."

"And you're sure it's not the other _famiglia_ trying to claim what is ours?"

Puma shook his head. "If anything, they're even worse off than we are. They don't have any connections with the ZPD, at least not to the extent that we have. They are much more likely to being harassed by the police. There's word on the street that the Pantera _famiglia_ is thinking of leaving Zootopia for good."

That gave LaGrande pause. "Guiseppe Pantera is one of the most stubborn and ferocious mammals I know. If somebody is able to bring him down, he must be _formidabile_."

"It's not necessary one single mammal, sir. Strength comes in numbers."

"You speak wisely. But what can we do about it?"

"At this moment? Not much, other than lay low. Maybe Judy Hopps is onto something, Don. She told us that she knew the reason for predators turning savage."

" _That_ is what's behind all this?"

"It seems that way, sir. Fear and mistrust towards predators has escalated. The number of attacks on predators, perpetrated by prey, has risen exponentially. It is much higher than the number of predators who turned savage, by the way. It's a safe bet that Signor Fuente is another victim." He shook his head. "And to think it is Hopps's fault! She put prey mammals at odds with predators. Almost single-pawed."

"You don't like her?"

"To be honest, I haven't asked myself that question."

"She was misinformed," LaGrande said. "She's still young and has a lot to learn."

"She isn't in a position where you have the luxury of time and opportunity to learn."

"That may be the case, still my daughter adores her, and she's going to be the godmother of my first granddaughter, which makes her _famiglia_."

Puma made a face. "Pardon me for saying this, sir, but …"

At this moment, the door opened, and Boris Koslov entered the room, stooping low to fit through the door. Without saying anything, he walked over to the TV set and turned it on.

"What is it, Boris?" LaGrande asked.

"You need to see this," Koslov said simply.

After a few seconds, an image appeared on the screen, showing the interior of the ZPD's headquarter building, the usual place where press conferences were held after the conclusion of some major case. The very same setup they had seen three months ago, when the mayhem had started to take shape.

Even the mammal sitting on top of the lectern was the same.

" _No, the worst thing I did was blaming predators on the whole_ ," Judy Hopps said. " _I blamed their biological predisposition as the reason for them turning savage. I accused a whole host of species of potentially being violent, deadly monsters_."

"What's wrong?" Puma asked.

"She solved the Savage Predators case," Koslov said concisely. "Don't know the details yet."

Hopps continued: " _And I did this despite having been helped by a predator myself, someone who had put his life on the line to assist me in solving the Missing Mammals case. In my arrogance, I even went so far as to tell him that I had only stated the facts of the case_.

" _Is there anything I can say in my defense. No, no, there isn't_.

" _I was_ not _stating the facts of the case. As a matter of fact, I wasn't even close to knowing the facts of the case, at least not to their full extent. All I displayed were my inherent prejudices, my ignorance, my small-mindedness. I was so wrapped-up in my beliefs that the thought that I might be overlooking something didn't even occur to me_.

" _And I had overlooked something. Something very big. But before I come to that, another apology is in order_."

She made a pause, looking up and directly into the camera. " _I apologize to every predator in Zootopia for accusing them of guilt by association. I was so very wrong in blaming you and your genetic predispositions as the reason for some predators turning savage. You are no more savage than prey mammals are. Deep down, we may all still be animals, despite the fact that we have evolved beyond our primitive, savage ways, but we have long overcome our ancient drives and needs. We are civilized mammals, prey and predators. There is no need to fear a predator sitting next to you on the streetcar, just because he's big and has huge teeth and claws. These won't be used against you. You are as safe in the presence of a predator than you are safe in the presence of prey_."

She shrugged. " _It took the help of two foxes, one arctic shrew, and a weasel to finally come to the realization that I have been wrong all along. There are no savage predators, and I was so very wrong in suggesting there might be. I have, single-pawed, made life so much worse for so many predators. And, sadly, all I can do now is offer my apologies. It is impossible for me to right all the wrongs, to assist all the predators in regaining what they have lost. All I can say now is: I'm so very sorry! I really am just a dumb bunny_." She made a pause, and suddenly she smiled. " _And yes, you can quote me_."

LaGrande smiled. "Seems like she is starting to learn already."

Hopps continued: " _Don't get me wrong now; there_ are _savage mammals out there_."

* * *

 **"** **The Watering Hole" Bar, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

" _They're called criminals_ ," Judy Hopps said.

Frederick Delgato's jaw dropped.

The bunny continued: " _They're those mammals who deliberately, willingly, choose a life of crime, those mammals who decide that causing other mammals harm is what they want to do. It's their deliberate choice. They are the murderers, the thugs, the bullies. They are the ones you should fear, not the lion sitting next to you, minding his own business._

" _I took an oath to fight those criminals. They are the ones I'm sworn to protect you from_." She sighed. " _And I have failed miserably at that_. _I have made the situation better for criminals and worse for law enforcement officers_."

She looked around, obviously at a group of mammals standing nearby. " _Chief Bogo told me that the City Council forced him to suspend several highly-decorated police officers recently for the simple reason of them being predators. And I am the reason for this. If I hadn't shot my mouth during my first press conference, none of this would have happened. Again, I can only say that I do apologize for the pain and suffering I have caused._

" _Now, if the City Council thought this might make the city more safe, they achieved the exact opposite effect. I am looking at a number of officers right now, a number way too small to offer all citizens of Zootopia protection. Just because some prey mammals high up decided they'd blame them as savages, instead of letting them deal with the real savages out there_."

She looked at the camera again. " _At the same time, atrocities in this city have multiplied. I was told that there are prey mammals out there who've made it a habit of bullying predators. Predators have been beaten up, shops have been razed, the foulest of crimes have been committed against innocent predators_.

" _Who's the savage here? The predators? Certainly not. No, it's the prey mammals, the herbivores, who deliberately decided to commit crimes against predators. This needs to end, and it needs to end_ NOW _!_

" _It is my fault this degenerated into the mess we're in, so right now I can only say this:_ _I know it's not my call to make, but I strongly urge the City Council to revert those suspensions. Reinstate the predator officers immediately! Make sure that all those criminals perpetrating crimes against predators can be brought to justice! This dumb bunny was wrong! Using my stupidity as an excuse to rid the ZPD of their finest officers is doing the ZPD and the city a disservice, and a huge one at that. Please, I implore you, revert those suspensions!_ "

"Now that's not something you hear every …" Reginald Pocock turned around, only to see that his customer wasn't sitting on his bar stool anymore. There was a twenty-dollar-bill lying next to the unfinished glass of beer.

Hopps continued: " _You know the difference between the predators who turned savage and savage criminals?_ "

* * *

 **Zootopia Municipal Correctional Facility, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

One of the guards had simply turned on the TV screen situated on one of the walls of the mess hall, so all guards and inmates were able to watch the press conference. And to every guard's amazement, even the most rambunctious inmates were listening quietly, with rapt attention.

" _It's very simple. Criminals_ decide _to become savages. Those predators who turned savage, they_ didn't have a choice. _And they weren't the only mammals who didn't have a choice_.

" _Which brings me to the case proper_." Hopps waited for a few seconds for the sudden commotion between the pressmammals to die down. " _As you will recall, the missing mammals were found, but the problems were far from over. Mayor Lionheart knew this. When we arrested him for imprisoning innocent mammals, he told me that what we were dealing with could tear Zootopia apart. He knew that the moment the public found out that predators turned savage for no apparent reason, the outcry would be devastating_.

" _Back then I was convinced that he had imprisoned the mammals to protect his own career - I even told him so. But as I found out over the course of the last few hours, I was wrong in my assessment. He wanted to protect the whole city from itself. And seeing what happened over the course of the last three months, I have to agree with him. The outcry has truly been devastating_.

" _Leodore Lionheart did what was in his power to protect Zootopia. He may have used illegal means, but as they say, sometimes the ends justify the means. He served his city to the bitter end, and right now, he is serving time in prison for basically doing what he was supposed to do. He put his career, his very future, on the line to protect Zootopia from itself. This is what he was sworn to do, and he did his duty, plain and simple as that_.

" _You cannot ask more from a Mayor. He did it all for Zootopia. Unlike some devious sheep who pretended to serve the city while secretly following her very own agenda. A sheep who framed him to take the fall for a crime she had committed herself. And before you ask, we have Dawn Bellwether's verbal confession on record_."

Another small commotion ensued, but Hopps continued regardless. " _Leodore Lionheart did nothing wrong. He did his job, and in my opinion_ …" She made a pause, shook her head, and continued: " _As a police officer, I am sworn to be impartial. I'm not allowed to care who the Mayor is, I only do my job, serving and protecting the public, regardless of the ruling administration. But you know what? I don't give a damn! I'm telling you right now what I think!_

" _Who is the right Mayor for this city? Is it a prey mammal who aims for prey supremacy, trying to force predators out of their jobs, out of their livelihoods, into hiding or out of the city? Is it a prey mammal who runs a company whose employees approach predators in their free time to beat them up, maybe even kill them?_ " This created some noise from the assembled press gaggle. Hopps continued: " _I wish this was just a tall tale, but it's not,_ _to the contrary! It has been brought to our attention that employees of Aries Security, the company run by our esteemed Assistant Mayor Robert Aries, may be responsible for savage attacks on predators. We will look into this, and believe me when I say this: If we find proof that the accusations are indeed true, the perpetrators will be brought to justice! Nothing justifies unprovoked attacks on other mammals, especially not prejudices!_

" _Back to the question at paw. Who is the right Mayor for this city? Is it possible that it is a predator who spent his career fighting injustice, first as a judge, then as the Mayor? Is it possible that this is the one who can help heal this city, treating prey and predators with the same respect and reverence the current administration so sorely lacks? In my opinion, Zootopia never had it better than when Leodore Lionheart was in office. Under his leadership, prejudice-driven attacks on other mammals were a capital offense, regardless of whether they were perpetrated by predators or by prey mammals. Unlike the current administration, which thinks it's perfectly fine for prey to subject predators to constant abuse while punishing predators severely for crimes they didn't even commit. He may not be the Mayor some of you want, but he is the public servant this city needs. Zootopia needs healing, now more than ever, and I think Lionheart is the right mammal for this job_.

" _It is time for all citizens of Zootopia, prey and predators alike, to stand together, side by side, to start making this world a better place again. Just as it has been before. It is time to put your trust in a mammal, a predator, who has proven that he earns said trust_.

" _Leodore Lionheart is innocent. His arrest and persecution were based on false accusations, he is in prison for something he didn't even do. He may have imprisoned the savage predators, but he has been forced to do so by someone else. He was coerced, he simply had no other choice. He should never have been removed from office, and if I had my way, he would be reinstated immediately_."

Leodore Lionheart stared at the screen, obviously dumbstruck. "See, someone is still siding with you," Madge Badger said silently.

Lionheart came out of his stupor with a snort. "So what? She has no leverage with the City Council. It's just her word, and how many mammals will listen to a rabbit who's obviously way out of her depth? No, regardless of what she says, nothing will change."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Badger made an encompassing gesture. Lionheart's gaze followed her paw, and to his astonishment, most mammals watching the screen were nodding or otherwise showing their approval, prey and predators alike, even some of those who had openly expressed their dislike towards him. "She's not the only one believing in you," Badger concluded.

Meanwhile, Hopps had continued: " _For the last several minutes I've been sort of dancing around the main reason why I'm here, why we're all here. Well, now the time has come to finally tell you what really happened_."

* * *

 **"** **Felinae Homestead" Apartment House, The Otterton Apartment, Rainforest District, Zootopia**

When had she taken a smoothie out of the fridge? For the life of her, Natalie Otterton couldn't remember. The radio transmission had her transfixed, glued to the speaker, listening to the bunny who'd found her Emmitt apologizing to the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker.

" _I just told you that the predators turning savage had no choice,_ " Hopps now said. " _It wasn't their decision. Unfortunately, when we found them, we didn't know this. For all we, and especially I knew, they may have decided to turn violent and savage. Which is what I insinuated during the last press conference. Or rather, I said that they were unable to help it. In this, I was right, but for all the wrong reasons, as I learned only this morning._

" _They were unable to help it, unable to prevent turning savage, not because of their biological predisposition, but because they had been subjected to a poison which drove them mad_."

"A poison?" Natalie gasped. "My Emmitt … was poisoned?!"

Hopps continued: " _And the weirdest thing about this is, I grew up with said poison all around me._ _In my home in Bunnyburrow, you'll find it everywhere. Even on the farm where I grew up_.

" _The poison is contained within a flower,_ _a crocus variant called_ Midnicampum holicithias _which exudes a rather acrid odor which bugs don't like at all. Plant enough of these around your fields, and bugs won't even come close to your produce. If subjected to the stench long enough, the bugs may even die. It's highly effective, so effective indeed that it's the first choice for farmers all over the world. Like I said, I literally grew up around the stuff_. _My father started using them on our farm some two decades ago, and since then, bug problems were a thing of the past._

" _Now, every bunny growing up around these plants knows that they are highly dangerous. One of the first lessons my father taught me was 'Stay away from the_ Midnicampum holicithias _, Judy! Do NOT approach them. Do NOT touch them. And, most importantly, even when you're starving, do NOT eat them!'_

" _To some of you, this may sound like over-protectiveness. It isn't._ _An uncle of mine ate one of the flowers when he was a kit, and my mother still bears the scars to tell the tale. Because after eating the plant, my uncle turned savage, biting my mother in the arm_.

" _Not only does_ Midnicampum holicithias _smell extremely pungent, it also contains a psychotropic drug. When ingested, the drug messes with the brain, to the extent that you lose all ability to control yourself. You are simply reduce to nothing more than a savage beast. And this goes for every mammal, prey and predator alike. It doesn't matter whether you are a ferocious tiger or a meek bunny. You eat one of the flowers, you turn savage_.

" _Yes, even bunnies can go savage!_

" _The good news about this is that the effect is only temporary. Usually, someone eating_ Midnicampum holicithias _recovers within a few days. The same can, sadly, not be said about the savage predators. The first cases happened about four months ago, and they have not yet recovered_. _The reason for this is that they were not subjected to the poison of_ one _little flower, they were subjected to the poison extracted from_ several dozens _of the plants. Nicholas Wilde and I saw the production process with our own eyes. Several dozen of the flowers, maybe even hundreds of them._

" _Fortunately, we didn't only see the production process, we were also able to obtain a sample of the poison used to turn predators savage. At this moment, it is in the ZPD's forensics lab to be analyzed. The best scientists of Zootopia are working on an antidote, and I am confident_ _that we will see results in the near future, that all the savage predators can, and will, be cured_."

Natalie suddenly realized that her vision had become blurry. Tears ran down her face as she listened to the first words of hope in months.

"Bless you, bless you, little bunny!"

* * *

 **Hopps Family Farm, Main Building, "Cinema," Bunnyburrow, Tri-Burrows**

" _You may ask yourself now: 'If she knows all this, and has known since childhood, why did it take her so long to solve the case?'_ " Judy made a pause. " _This is actually very simple to explain. There is a reason why I was calling the flower by its scientific name,_ Midnicampum holicithias _. Until this morning, it was the only name I knew. As a rule, bunnies take a certain pride in knowing their plants, their fruits and vegetables, their flowers. Identifying plants and knowing everything there is to know about them is kind of a normality for us. Even those who don't work in farming, like myself, sure know our plants, and we have no problems with all those tongue twisters nobody in their right mind would want to speak aloud._

" _Since childhood, I knew the plant only by its scientific name. And then, just this morning, the fox Gideon Grey, the very same one I told you about at the beginning, told me how the flower was called in his family._

" _They call it Night Howler._ "

" _That's_ what she meant! That's what she was so excited about," Stu Hopps said, grinning. He punched Gideon Grey in the arm. "Seems like you really helped her solve the case."

"Ah had no idea," Gideon said automatically. "Are Night Howlers _that_ dangerous?"

"You can bet they are. You heard her."

"Damn! And they used it ta make preds go savage?"

"Seems like it."

"It's a sad, sad world where preds and prey can't live in peace an' harmony."

Stu looked up at him, then he smiled. "Well, not in Zootopia, they can't. But here in Bunnyburrow, we sure can. Right, Gid?"

Gideon looked down at the older bunny, smiling himself. "We sure can, Mr. H."

* * *

 **Zootopia Municipal Correctional Facility, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

"It's a poison!" Badger said tonelessly. "Damn it! Why didn't I find this?"

Lionheart shrugged. "You can't win 'em all, Doctor."

In the meantime, Hopps had continued: " _Nicholas Wilde and I had come across the term during our investigation into the Missing Mammals case. It had been uttered by the mammal I had been tasked to find, the otter named Emmitt Otterton. It was the last word he had managed to say before turning savage. His driver at the time, a jaguar named Renato Manchas, told us about it_.

" _And then he turned savage himself, for no apparent reason_.

" _We managed to escape, and I even managed to cuff him to a lamppost. We alerted HQ of the incident, and several officers, including Chief Bogo, came to arrest Mr. Manchas_.

" _But all we found was an empty spot where a jaguar should have been. Mr. Manchas had miraculously disappeared_.

" _It was only when Nicholas and I were watching the footage recorded by traffic surveillance cameras that we learned what had happened. The footage showed two timberwolves kidnapping Mr. Manchas. And after they had successfully apprehended him, they started to howl_.

" _And we thought we had the solution. Wolves howl, that's common knowledge. They often do so at night. So I came to the conclusion that wolves were the Night Howlers, that they were the culprits behind the disappearance of the missing mammals. We followed their trail, which led us to Cliffside Asylum. We found the missing mammals, we arrested Mayor Lionheart, and I patted myself on the shoulder for having solved the case_.

" _But as we all know, the case was far from being solved. Predators still turned savage, and nobody knew why_.

" _It was only after I had learned that Night Howlers are flowers, not wolves, flowers that I knew were poisonous, that I started to see the big picture. I knew the true reason for predators turning savage. But I didn't know who was responsible for it. All I knew was that Night Howler bulbs had been stolen from a flower shop in Zootopia - I had managed to apprehend the thief myself. I had to assume that the thief had been stealing them for someone else, who in turn was using them to turn predators savage. I only had to find the thief, and maybe he would be able to point me in the right direction_. _But being the redneck bunny that I am, finding him in a city which was still completely alien to me sounded like an exercise in futility._ "

Hopps looked down at Wilde, who was still standing next to the lectern with a smirk on his face. " _Fortunately, I knew a certain fox who was born and raised in Zootopia, who, in his own words, knew everybody. He helped me find the thief, and after some convincing, the thief told us that he had been stealing the Night Howler bulbs for a ram named Doug. He even told us where to find him_.

" _And find him we did. And we finally saw, with our own eyes, what had been done to the predators_.

" _The ram was hiding in a disused subway car he had turned into a laboratory. In it, he was growing Night Howlers in huge numbers. Once they were big enough, he was extracting the poison to create pellets the size and color of blueberries, with the concentrated poison of at least a few dozen flowers, maybe even way more. He had used those to target predators, using an air-powered gun. He shot the predators with the pellets, they smashed on impact, and the poison was absorbed by the victim's skin, turning the mammal savage_."

For the second time in less than twenty minutes, Madge Badger had the feeling of being doused in ice water.

Pellets full of poison? Pellets the color of blueberries?

Suddenly, and with frightening clarity, an image popped up in her mind, an image of a tiger who had turned savage. Heavily sedated, stripped down to his underpants, he had been lying on her examination table. And she had noticed a blue stain along his neck.

A stain she had dismissed as a failed attempt at a tattoo, or maybe a food stain.

It had never occurred to her that she had been looking at the reason why the mammal had turned savage.

"I am such an idiot!" she said aloud.

"Excuse me?" Lionheart said, looking at her for the first time in minutes.

"I have seen it!" Badger shouted. "I have seen the stains! I should have realized they weren't natural! Hell, I even cleaned some of the stains!" Tears started rolling down her face. Other mammals started to look at her, noticing the same thing Lionheart was seeing: Badger was close to a complete breakdown. Huge sobs wracked her body. "I w-would only have n-needed to examine the stains or e-extracted the poison from the cloth I used to wash the victims." Suddenly, she screamed: "I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!"

"Hey, pipe down, will ya?" someone shouted. Badger didn't even hear him.

"I-I could have s-solved the case _ages ago_!" Badger was bawling. "But no, I was completely i-ignoring the elephant in the r-room!"

Lionheart looked at her with concern on his face. "Listen, Doctor, we all make mistakes. We …"

"NO!" she screamed. Even more mammals were staring at her now. "It was m-my duty to f-find the reason b-behind all this! I should have …"

"Excuse me?" another voice spoke up.

Both Badger and Lionheart looked up. A hippo was standing in front of their table, wearing a ZPD uniform with the rank insignia of Sergeant. "Are you Doctor Madge Badger?" If he was concerned about her bawling, he didn't show.

When Badger didn't respond, Lionheart answered in her stead: "She is."

"Excellent. I'm Sergeant Thomas Higgins, ZPD. I was ordered to take you to the ZPD's forensic lab immediately."

Badger just stared at him. "What?"

"Chief Bogo told me to take you to the forensic lab," Higgins repeated. "We have found a sample of the serum used to turn predators savage. Doctor Peralta asks for your assistance."

" _What?_ "

Higgins sighed. "Listen, Doctor. We have the poison, we need to find an antidote, and quickly. Doctor Peralta was authorized to use every resource imaginable to find it. He considers you one of the best chemists in Zootopia. He asks for your help. So, would you please accompany me?"

Badger still stared at him, obviously not taking in any word Higgins had said. Lionheart sighed and placed his large paw on her shoulder.

"Doctor, listen! We all make mistakes, some bigger, some smaller. Yes, we have both made grave mistakes, and we have to take full responsibility for it. But you are just given a shot at redemption! Find the cure! Help cure the savage predators!"

Badger looked at him, taking a deep breath. The tears subsided. "So, Doctor, off you go!" Lionheart added.

Slowly, Badger nodded. She got up from her chair even more slowly. Looking up at Higgins, she said: "Sergeant, I'm ready to go wherever you take me."

"Good," Higgins said. He turned towards one of the guards who had approached them. "I was authorized by Chief Bogo to take her with me," he told the rhino. "Her assistance is needed to find an antidote for the serum turning predators savage."

"I need signed release papers," the rhino countered.

"You will receive them tomorrow, first thing in the morning. I'll deliver them to you personally. But right now, time is of the essence. So, if you would please excuse us."

Badger had turned towards Lionheart. "Thank you, Lionheart."

Lionheart smiled. "Please, call me Leodore."

"And you can call me Honey." She turned towards Higgins. "Let's go!"

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Press Conference Assembly, City Center, Zootopia**

Everybody in the room leaned forward, listening with rapt attention. Chief Bogo, arms folded, was watching Hopps deliver one of the best speeches he had heard in his entire life. Without any notes, completely off the cuff. All nervousness which had surrounded her like a dark cloud at the beginning of her speech had vanished completely. She was calm, she was confident, yet she was humble.

 _She'd make one hell of a politician!_

The chief he was couldn't approve of what she had just done, especially her words on Lionheart, but the mammal he was couldn't help but applaud her bravado. She was really exposing herself in ways he could never have imagined.

He turned his head to look at the officers standing in the background, and to his surprise he noticed that their number had grown. He saw the lion Frederick Delgato, the polar bears Virgil Andersen and Markus Grizzoli, the wolf Harry Wolford, the tiger James Fangmeyer, - all predator officers he had been forced to suspend. They were all wearing civilian clothing, and they were all staring at Hopps, with strange expressions on their faces.

Hopps continued: "Nicholas and I were able to overpower Doug and his henchmammals, and we were able to obtain a case containing an air-powered pistol loaded with one of the Night Howler pellets. We tried to take it to this very building, cutting through the Natural History Museum, but we were ambushed.

"We were ambushed by no other than Mayor Dawn Bellwether and three of her henchmammals.

"At first, I thought she wanted to help us, but then I became suspicious. How had she been able to find us? I hadn't called her, I hadn't even called the ZPD. How had she known which route we would take? How had she known what we had done?

"The only possible reason I can think of is that Doug, or one of his henchmammals, I don't know, must have called her, telling her what had happened.

"Bellwether told me to surrender the case. I refused to do so, and Nicholas and I attempted to flee." She pointed at her leg. "Unfortunately, I hit something on our way out, injuring my leg. I wasn't able to run. Nicholas and I hid behind some exhibit, with Bellwether approaching.

"And then she started telling us about her great plan. She tried to win me over for her cause, called predators our 'common enemy,' an enemy she wanted to use to stay in power. We have all this on record. I was carrying a Dictaphone with me, which recorded everything she told us.

"We needed some escape plan. We needed to get to the ZPD and avoid her at the same time. With my leg, it was an impossible task.

"And then, Nicholas Wilde came up with an ingenious plan. By replacing the Night Howler pellet in the gun with a blueberry, we rendered the weapon harmless. We then made a feeble attempt to escape, which was hopeless from the get-go, because Nicholas had to carry me. We were caught quickly by one of Bellwethers ram henchmammals. When he shoved us down into a pit, Nicholas intentionally dropped the case. Bellwether took it and shot Nicholas with the blueberry, thinking it was the Night Howler serum. She wanted him to turn savage and kill me.

"Nicholas pretended to turn savage while I was trying to make Bellwether confess to her crimes. Which she did without hesitation, thinking that I would be dead soon. So I have a full confession on record. A recording which will be used against her in a court of law. Chief Bogo and some other ZPD officers arrived and took Bellwether and her henchmammals into custody."

She made a pause. "And those _really_ are the facts of the case. Any questions?"

The room literally exploded in hundreds of questions by dozens of mammals.

* * *

 **Hopps Family Farm, Main Building, "Cinema," Bunnyburrow, Tri-Burrows**

"That's our Judy!" Bonnie Hopps had walked over to her husband, putting her arm around his waist while still looking at the screen, seeing her daughter deal with the first questions with calm confidence. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart!"

"Way to go, Dude!" The pride in Stu's voice was undeniable.

Gideon chuckled. "And Ah told her no bunny could ever become a cop! Jus' look at her! Now here's a cop if Ah ever saw one! Solved the big case!"

Bonnie looked at him, smiling. "With the help of a fox!"

"Yup." Stu looked at Gideon, too. "Fox and bunny as a team."

Now, Gideon laughed. "Who'd have thunk it, huh?"

Stu nodded. "Three months ago? Certainly not me!"

The screen showed Judy pointing at someone behind the camera. A male voice was heard: " _Officer Hopps, you told us that Mr. Wilde pretended to turn savage. Can you elaborate?_ "

Judy shrugged. " _We had seen Mr. Manchas turn savage, and Nicholas simply tried to imitate him, the growling, the aggressive stance. He looked very convincing, let me tell you! He completely fooled Dawn Bellwether and her henchmammals_." She grinned. " _He almost fooled me_."

" _Did he attack you?_ "

" _Of course he did; he had to, otherwise it wouldn't have looked convincing. We needed to convince Bellwether that he was about to kill me. In the end, he even went so far as to put his jaws around my neck_."

"WHAT?" Bonnie shouted, and she wasn't the only bunny in this room who did it.

Surprisingly enough, even a few reporters had raised their voices in shock. Despite the din, Judy continued, supremely calm: " _But it was, of course, completely harmless. As a matter of fact, I felt completely safe. I trusted Nicholas to do what was necessary, and he delivered in spectacular fashion_."

"Our daughter's neck … in the jaws of a predator?" Stu said, incredulousness in his voice. He quickly looked at Gideon, who was looking at the screen with raised eyebrows. "Uh, sorry, Gid. It was … nothing against foxes."

Gideon didn't even seem to hear him. "Huh," he said, "hope yer into foxes, Judy."

Stu stiffened. "What was that?"

Gideon looked down at Stu, and suddenly he seemed to realize what he had just said. "Oh boy!"

"What's the matter, Gideon?" Bonnie asked with her warm voice.

"Uh … when a fox nibbles 'nother mammal," Gideon said haltingly, "he wants ta mate with 'em. Love bites. That's what we call 'em."

Stu just stared at him. "Love … bites?"

"Sure! You bunnies do it yourselves, ain't ya?"

"Y-yes, we groom each other," Bonnie said hesitantly. "It's part of being a colony."

"But ya only do it to those ya love, right?"

"Yes, of course. We're family, after all."

"See? It's tha same with foxes."

Stu narrowed his eyes. "So you think this … Nicholas likes our Judy?"

"Ah wouldn't be surprised if 'e does." He looked at the screen, which showed both Judy and the fox. "Just look at 'im! See 'ow he looks at Judy!"

Both bunnies looked at the screen, examining the red fox. He looked up at Judy, who returned the gaze. And the looks on both their faces were unmistakable.

A thought struck both Stu and Bonnie, but both didn't manage to find the right words. It was one of the kits sitting nearby who put their thoughts into words: "Mommie, is this Judy's boyfriend?"

And just like that, the silence in the cinema was a thing of the past.

Dozens of bunny kits started voicing their opinion, and they all decided to do it at the very same time.

"No, he's not!"

"He looks really cuddly!"

"He's in love with Judy!"

"Have you seen his tail?"

"Fox and Judy sitting in the tree, kay-eye-ess- … uhm …"

"Foxes eat bunnies, don't they?"

"Bet when this is over, they start smooching each other."

"Will he bite her?"

Stu and Bonnie looked at each other in helpless bewilderment, while Gideon pondered whether he should beat a hasty retreat now.

* * *

 **The "Wilde" Homestead, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

" _You allowed a predator, a fox, to put his jaws around your neck?_ " The reporter asking the question sounded incredulous.

Just as incredulous as Vivian Wilde felt.

" _Yes, I did. Why?_ " The bunny was still as cool as a cucumber.

" _Well, seeing as foxes and bunnies are natural enemies_ …"

The bunny raised an eyebrow. " _That was millennia ago! We have evolved since then. Nicholas Wilde isn't my enemy, he's my friend. I'd trust him with my life_." She smiled. " _Already have, as a matter of fact_."

 _You don't even see the problem_ , Vivian thought.

Her son had nibbled this bunny!

The bunny was obviously completely unaware of the implications; Vivian wondered if Nicholas, at least, knew what his action implied.

She looked at him, watched him look up at the bunny, who returned the gaze. There was affection in their gazes, maybe even a bit more.

 _They like each other. They like each other very much._

Over the years, Vivian had seen countless relationships between herbivores and carnivores. Which, in retrospect, wasn't all that surprising, given the fact that she had been working at a nightclub of slightly dubious reputation, situated in one of the seedier streets in Happytown. And usually she had no problems dealing with them. To each his own, that has always been her mantra. Inter-gender relationships, inter-species relationships, prey-predator relationships - she couldn't have cared less.

She had never thought her own son would want to have an interspecies relationship, too. With a bunny even!

"Maybe you're reading too much into it," she said aloud.

After all, if the bunny's words were true, Nicholas and herself had gotten to know each other three months ago, most of which they had spent in separation. They knew each other for maybe four days, tops.

Still, she had allowed her son to put his jaws around her neck.

Vivian heaved a sigh. "Finally someone who trusts foxes!"

" _And you should trust Nicholas Wilde, too_ ," the bunny said. " _Because he has just handed in his application for the Zootopia Police Academy. In three months, he's going to enroll at the Academy, and nine months later, he'll be a police officer. He'll be the first fox officer in ZPD history. And I honestly can't wait till he joins, till the day we can become partners on the force_."

Vivian couldn't believe her ears.

Her son, her bunny-loving son, her soon-to-be-police-officer son …

She got up from her armchair slowly, walking over to the minibar.

 _To hell with chemotherapy! I need a drink!_

* * *

 **Inside a Van, Side Alley along Acacia Avenue, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

Another fox had trouble trusting his hearing.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Finnick shouted.

 _Nicky, the shamus!_

Who would have thought?

…

 _I would've._

One of the first lessons every hustler had to learn was to stake a claim. Each and every hustler had his own turf, the district he was working in - which wasn't necessarily the one they lived in. There was nothing worse than a hustler working on another hustler's turf. The outcome was invariably annoying and/or painful.

To allow for several hustlers to work in the same district, diversification was necessary. When every hustler did the exact same thing, rivalries were common. Even worse, their victims soon became wise to the acts, not falling for scams anymore.

When you wanted to be a successful hustler, you needed to stand out; you needed an ability, an area of expertise which distinguished you from your competition. In Finnick's case, it was his acting abilities, his ability to successful portray a toddler, Nick's son, despite the fact that he was eleven years his senior. And if that wasn't enough, he was always carrying a huge amount of unchecked aggression with him - along with his trusty baseball bat -, which usually took the much larger mammals completely off guard. Nobody expected a fennec fox to pick a fight with a hippo, but that's exactly what Finnick was infamous for.

With Nick, it was just that he was … different.

After a particularly well-played hustle, Finnick had heard one of his victims yell at him: "Your moral compass is either missing or broken."

Nick's moral compass had always been both very present and very well adjusted.

Sure, he cheated mammals out of their hard-earned money, but he did it strictly for survival. Which was just how things worked when you spent your life among the dregs of society. On top of that, he also had to pay the bills for his mother's cancer treatment. Which was a most noble cause, one that cost a lot of money.

Nick had always been in need of huge amounts of money. Still, he had absolutely refused to resort to stealing. He had never extorted money. He had always tried to scam the rich people, sparing the poor. He was even known for helping other unfortunate mammals survive by giving them money or helping them with their work.

Among the hustlers, Nick was the Good Samaritan.

Not for the first time, Finnick asked himself what Nick's story was. All he knew was that Nick had been bullied at one point in his life, but he had flatly refused to give more details. Nick was highly intelligent, had impeccable business savvy, an almost photographic memory for mammals, places, and events, a silver tongue and sort of a sixth sense regarding the need to disappear. The lapses in judgment that befell every hustler had happened rarely to him - apart from the infamous skunk butt rug he had sold Mr. Big, Nick's hustling history was almost flawless. Flawlessly executed hustles, scams so convincing that the victims never knew what hit them - Nick was hugely successful at what he did, which was part of the reason why Nick had made that much money.

Giving his mother most of it, retaining only a small portion for himself. He led an absolutely frugal life, usually spending his time under the bridge or in the disused and slightly derelict factory building nearby. He ate just as much as necessary to remain healthy, he rarely drank alcohol, didn't smoke, took no drugs, unlike Finnick, who liked his ciggy, his one evening brewski or five, and did even enjoy the occasional doobie. And Finnick had more lays in one month than Nick had in an entire decade.

What had made a mammal so gifted, so talented, choose to live a life of hustling and scheming? Simple prejudice? A lot of foxes had honest jobs, foxes who were much less intelligent or capable than Nick. So why not Nick?

Mr. Big had once told Nick that he wasn't a hustler, a notion Nick had merely scoffed at.

Seems like it had taken a bunny to convince him that the arctic shrew had been right all along.

 _She hustled you, Nick. She hustled you GOOD!_

Finnick knew that Nick had the potential to become a highly successful police officer.

Which in turn meant he might very well turn into an adversary.

Even worse, their successful run, it seemed, had just come to an end.

Yet somehow, despite his greatest efforts, the anger at Nick refused to erupt.

He simply was unable to hate him.

They had had good times, they had had bad times. Nick had always had Finnick's back and vice versa. They had been a good team.

But all good things must come to an end.

Finnick raised his can of beer in a toast.

"Here's to ya, cub! Way to go!"

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Press Conference Assembly, City Center, Zootopia**

Chief Bogo had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself laughing out loud.

 _What a clever, clever bunny!_

By telling the assembled press, and thus all of Zootopia, that Wilde would be enrolling at the ZPA, Hopps was effectively trying to force the paws of the councilmammals of Zootopia. Being an integral part in the solving of such a high-profile case, with repercussions felt throughout the whole city, Nicholas Wilde had certainly proven his trustworthiness. Still, with his past and the usual bad reputation of foxes, even Bogo's recommendation might not have been enough to secure Wilde a place at the ZPA. A lot of the councilmammals, consisting mostly of prey, might disagree with Bogo's assessment.

Now however, after Hopps had made Wilde's application public, they would risk loss of face if they chose to deny the fox who had risk life and limb to save the city the chance to become a police officer. The press would probably start asking inconvenient questions, questions no politician likes to hear, especially in times like these.

 _A really smart move, Hopps! And to think that she has so completely, utterly screwed up during her first press conference!_

Still the same bunny, but yet completely different!

Bogo nodded to himself. This was an officer to his liking. If she went on like that, she would become an asset to Precinct One.

Bogo decided that it had been a good decision to offer her to return to the ZPD.

She was still answering questions from the press gaggle, and she did it in the most confident manner. However, it was obvious that after almost one hour of constant talking, Hopps was flying on fumes. The last weeks had taken a toll on her, and her injury was visibly bothering her enormously. After she starting fighting a yawn, Bogo decided it was time to end this press conference to finally allow her to get her leg looked after.

However, he simply wasn't fast enough.

Wilde had obviously seen the same thing Bogo had. With one single leap, he jumped onto the top step of the lectern, pushed past Hopps and said in an almost casual tone: "Ladies and Gentlemammals, as you can see, Officer Hopps is injured. If you have more questions, I am sure Chief Bogo and the ZPD personnel will be willing and able to answer them. Officer Hopps belongs in a hospital, and that's exactly where I am going to take her. So, if you would please excuse us …"

This was when Bogo reached the lectern.

"Mr. Wilde is right," he said with his grave voice. "Officer Hopps needs medical attention. If you have any more questions, you can ask me." He nodded at both Wilde and Hopps. "But before you do, allow me to express my thankfulness to both Officer Hopps and Mr. Wilde for solving the case. And, for the record, Mr. Wilde, I am looking forward to having you as a police officer working at Precinct One." _Let's see if we can increase the pressure on the City Council even more!_

Wilde raised an eyebrow while putting on an almost mischievous grin. "The feeling's mutual, sir." He put his arm around Hopps's shoulder. "Let's get you to a hospital, Officer Hopps."

They climbed down the lectern with some difficulty and tried to turn towards the exit. However, with a literal wall of mammals between them and the revolving door, getting through looked like an exercise in futility.

Until suddenly, several large mammals stepped in front of them.

Bogo watched in surprise as, without being ordered, several of his officers, including those whom he had had to suspend, pushed their way through the crowd, allowing Wilde, who had opted to simply carry Hopps, to follow in their trail. Bogo saw Frederick Delgato and his old partner, Brian McHorn, assume position next to the exit, nodding towards both Hopps and Wilde.

* * *

 **Zootopia News Network Headquarters, TV Studio Four, City Center, Zootopia**

"I don't believe it!" Fabienne Growley shouted. "This devious sheep! The nerve! Wrecking the whole city just to stay in power!"

Patrick Mephitis, the editor-in-charge, was flinching visibly. "Uhm, Fab, your mic is still hot …"

Growley ignored him. "And to think I gave her my vote! Hope she rots in prison! I just wish all those unrest comes to an end now!"

Peter Moosebridge made a quick decision. "We all do," he said in his calm "news voice," as he usually called it. "It is time for Zootopia to find peace again, after all the destruction and unprovoked attacks." He looked directly into the active camera. "If there is any new development, we will interrupt our program to keep you, dear viewers, informed. Until then. I am Peter Moosebridge, for ZNN, Zootopia."

"All right, we're off the air," Mephitis announced.

Growley's face fell. "I was … on the air?"

Moosebridge shrugged. "You know, under normal circumstances, I would lecture you now on what good journalism is and what isn't. Do you know the basic rules of good journalism?"

"Uh, keep your distance, do not associate with a cause, even with a good one, do not fall into public concern, keep cool when dealing with catastrophes without appearing cold."

"Right." He gave her a smile. "Sounded to me like you were violating quite a lot of those rules. However," he reached over with his hoof and placed it on her paw, "under the given circumstances, I think you can be forgiven." He got up. "Do you want a beer? There's a bar just around the corner. You look like you could use some liquid fortification."

Growley got up, too. "That I do, Peter, that I do.

* * *

 **The name "Major Ursula Friedkin" actually isn't my invention. The polar bear is called Ursula in most stories, but since it is a first name in Germany, I was never really comfortable with it. In the original screenplay by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston, which was released a few days ago and can be found on the internet, she was explicitly called Major Friedkin. So I just picked that name and added the Ursula to it as the first name.**

 **Yep, I've decided to give Mr. Big a name - a name which literally translates to "Charlemagne" (or "Charles the Great" to all those who're not interested in history), which sounds quite fitting to me, seeing that everyone calls him Mr. Big. Sue me! I like the character so much, I decided to go the whole hog and give him a proper Italian immigrant background, similar to Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather."**

 **Bigger groups of rabbits are called colonies or nests, so the extensive Hopps Family can just as easily be called the Hopps Colony. Sounds strange, doesn't it?**

 **Grooming is an important part of social interactions between rabbits. They lick and nibble each other to help with keeping the fur clean and pest-free. It can even happen between bunnies and their human owners! If the rabbit really likes you, he will lick and sometimes even nibble you affectionately. We had a rabbit once which had taken a liking to me. I kept my hair really short back then, and he liked to keep it clean by licking and nibbling my head hair any chance he got. Which can be quite painful, let me tell you! (In case you doubt this, I have the pictures (and scars) to prove it - my wife thought it looked so cute, she needed to take several photos of our little Purzel (that was his name) grooming me.) Don't know if it's that important for foxes, but I assume it is - most mammals groom each other on a regular basis, so I just assumed foxes would do it, too. Besides, it's just such a great plot device here!**

 **Growley's response to Moosebridge's admonishment was taken from an interview published in 1995 by the German news magazine "Der Spiegel." In it, the German journalist Hanns-Joachim Friedrichs gave his final interview, days before his untimely death - his legacy, so to speak.** **The given sentence was his mantra.** **When asked what good journalism was, he said, and I quote:** **"** ** _Distanz halten, sich nicht gemein machen mit einer Sache, auch nicht mit einer guten, nicht in öffentliche Betroffenheit versinken, im Umgang mit Katastrophen cool bleiben, ohne kalt zu sein_** **."** **I simply translated the sentence.**

 **There probably are tons of quotes in this chapter, although I didn't actively try and hide some in here. Writing the chapter was hard enough as it is. In case you find some, let me know, and I will acknowledge your detective skills in the next chapter!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	4. Chapter Four - Seeing the Ramifications

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Guess what! Change of plans! (What else is new?) And some lengthy author's notes to boot!**

 **I know I told you that this was going to be the last chapter. It isn't. The original plan had been to just make a chapter consisting of nothing but short snippets which in turn bring closure to the mini-storylines I created during the story. However, a few PMs changed my mind for me, and in an outright spectacular fashion at that!**

 **Yes, Judy apologized to all and sundry, but is it enough to heal the festering wound caused by Bellwether and Judy herself? Some comments suggested to the contrary, and I tend to agree with them. This is why I took one of the snippets and expanded it significantly, turning it into a completely new storyline. A storyline which will probably take several chapters to complete.**

 **This in turn means two things: One, this story is far from being done! Two, I need to finish this first, so my "Hammer" story is placed on hold until further notice. This story's idea, which basically came out of nowhere, has occupied my thoughts completely for several weeks now. I need to get this done before I can move back to "Hammer," otherwise both stories will suffer.**

 **And to think that this was intended to be a short-ish one-shot! Now I'm looking at four chapters, with more than 30,000 words! (Chapter Three alone contained more than 14,000 words! Just so you know, when using the standard format for most books in the western hemisphere, the chapter alone would be about 45 pages long!) Like I said several times before, being brief isn't my forte …**

 **This chapter is dedicated to all my trusty reviewers who keep forcing me to change my well-thought-out plans on a constant basis. Thanks for that! (And I'm not being sarcastic about it - I like your input very much! Keep it coming!) One particular shout goes out to Combat Engineer! Like I told you, I wanted to show the other side of the coin anyway, so here you are. Hope you're happy!**

 **Just so you know, some of the things I mention in this chapter are not for the faint of heart! You have been warned … (I guess after this chapter, the T rating is well deserved. Not that I wanted it to be that way at the beginning …)**

 **I'm looking at these stats right now: More than 1,600 views, 25 reviews, 24 favorites, and 39 alerts. As always, many thanks and lots of appreciation to all of you for making this another worthwhile experience for me!**

 **I bow down in gratitude to these outstanding members of the human race for sending me their reviews: Galaxyexplorer74, Foxlover91, niraD, Combat Engineer, 14, AlbineFox, one anonymous guest, HawkTooth, hpalex13, DrummerMax64, and Dirtkid123.**

 **DrummerMax64 also deserves special congrats for FINALLY finding the quotes I hid in Chapter One! The quote from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" can be found in the very last chapter, when Albus Dumbledore tells Harry Potter that he needs to draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, looking for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, because: "Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?" I gave Judy this quote, just because I thought it was hilarious that she would come up with this sort of deadpan humor. The quote from "The Hunt for Red October" can be found in the earlier parts, when Jeffrey Pelt, Security Advisor to the President of the United States, explains to Jack Ryan after the staff meeting: "Listen, I'm a politician, which means I'm a cheat and a liar, and when I'm not kissing babies I'm stealing their lollipops." I just adapted it a bit to the world of Zootopia and gave it to Nick, because his rather pessimistic outlook lends itself best to conveying the sense of being fed up with politicians. Kudos to you, DrummerMax64! Very well done indeed!**

 **Oh, and before I forget: Dear Guest, your review was quite interesting, but since I cannot respond to you in person, I need to do it here. The reason why I, and so many other authors on this site and all over the world, like to portray the mafia clan of Mr. Big as funny, benevolent, sympathetic, and what have you, is twofold, but very simple: One, because Mr. Big is a spoof on Don Corleone - the movie script specifically states that Mr. Big "sounds like Marlon Brando sped up to 78 rpm" -, we all take leaves out of the book "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo. I guess you never read it, otherwise you wouldn't have sent me your review. In that book, the Corleone Family is depicted as exactly that, benevolent, sympathetic, and outright positive (while at the same time not shrinking away from violence). As opposed to this, the book explicitly calls the rest of the world broken, ineffective, unsupportive - in short, dysfunctional. You want to get anything done? Go to Don Corleone! Forget policemen, judges, lawyers; they won't help you. They represent the law, not what is right. You want help, you go to the Godfather. It's that simple. The world of Don Vito Corleone as depicted in the book may be full of blatant breaking of laws, full of violence, full of murder, full of crime. At the same time, it protects, provides, and cares, something the society outside the family completely fails to do.**

 **As for Judy blundering her way through this, I guess I gave enough proof in the last chapter that Judy's a flawed mammal. She uses her connections without hesitation or compunction. Just like Lionheart isn't necessarily the best mammal, but the Mayor Zootopia needs, Judy's not the perfect hero, she's just the bunny Zootopia needs. Like I wrote in another PM, I don't see the world strictly in terms of black and white. There's no perfect goody-two-shoes, there's no perfect arch-villain. You will find good in the bad and bad in the good. That's just how life is sometimes!**

 **But the second reason is much simpler, and even more important: This is all about entertainment! I write to entertain you. I do not condone organized crime, nor will I ever do so. But as a plot device, you cannot ask for anything better! I'm not a murderer because I write about murder. I generally shrink away from violence, but writing violent stuff is easy for me. I'm a law-abiding citizen with no criminal record to his name (AND I pay my taxes!), yet I can imagine the grossest of crimes and put them into a story. It's just because I want YOU to be entertained. I want to make sure YOU enjoy what I'm doing. This is why I tend to pull out all the stops when writing. If I think it's entertaining, I put it into a story, regardless of whether I agree with it or not. I have written so many things I positively hate, I could fill huge tomes with it! Hollywood follows a similar approach: The positive depiction of all things mafia is merely for the sake of entertainment. Or do you honestly think Francis Ford Coppola was paid by the mafia to make the "Godfather" trilogy? This is all fictional - nothing of it is true in any way, shape, or form. And it should be treated as such.**

 **Just because I write about something doesn't mean I endorse it!**

 **You want a dose of reality? You've come to the wrong place, I'm afraid!**

 **I suggest you read the book "The Godfather," and when you're done, it would be nice if you give me a shout and tell me whether reading the book had an influence on your opinion.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Four

 **Seeing the Ramifications**

 _We have made the decision, there is forgiveness, if you need. But this is not in this world. You have to wait and wait._

Accept: "Heaven is Hell" (Written by Gaby "Deaffy" Hauke, Udo Dirkschneider, Wolf Hoffmann, Jörg Fischer, Peter Baltes, and Stefan Kaufmann, from the album "Russian Roulette," RAC / Portrait, 1986)

* * *

 **Zootopia General Hospital, Emergency Room #4, City Central, Zootopia**

"Well, the cut itself isn't all that bad to begin with, although a slight infection has already begun to set in, but this'll be easy enough to deal with." The doctor doing the examination, a springbok, was crisp and efficient, even in his manner of speech. "However, you've partially ruptured the _peronaeus longus_ and the _tibiailis anterior_. Those are two of the muscles responsible for paw movement. Sorry, but you'll not be running around in the foreseeable future."

Judy nodded, having suspected as much. Given the fact that every movement of her right leg was causing her excruciating pain, much more pain than a simple cut might have caused, extensive damage had always been the most likely diagnosis. "For how long?"

"Three weeks, minimum. Depends on your ability to sit still."

"Which, as far as I can tell, is virtually non-existent," Nick said with a grin.

"Har har," Judy said, grinning herself. Looking at the doctor, she continued: "Seriously though, no running around?"

"Not if you can help it. The better you can stay off your paws, the faster your recovery will be." He looked down at the wound again. "The ruptures themselves will heal on their own, since they're not too extensive. However, your skin will probably not. I could sew it shut right now, but like I said before, I'm looking at a slight infection. Since the bleeding has stopped, I'd say we clean the wound and wait for 12 hours, then we'll apply the stitches. I hope you didn't make any plans for tonight."

"You wanna keep me here?"

"For one day. We'll administer some antiseptics, and just to be sure, we can give you a low-level antibiotic, although I don't think it'll be necessary. Oh, and if you want, you can have an analgesic, too."

"Excuse me, a _what_?"

"A painkiller, Carrots," Nick said with a smirk. "Doctors like to talk in a language only they can understand."

The doctor smiled. "It's obvious you understand it, too."

"I do. Some of it at least."

Judy looked at Nick, who had the accustomed smirk on his features. _He probably needed the knowledge for a hustle_ , she thought, then found out to her own surprise that the thought didn't bother her all that much. Nick had officially applied for the Academy, he had been sincere, and if Chief Bogo was willing to overlook his shady past, who was she to second-guess him? "Yes, a painkiller would be nice."

A few minutes later, a pygmy hippo nurse had cleaned the wound, amidst much hissing and groaning from Judy, and had applied a bandage with surprising deftness, considering she was dealing with a mammal less than half her size, and given Judy both two tiny pills and an ice pack to apply "for no longer than 20 minutes at a time," as she had told her. Sitting in a wheelchair, the injured leg propped up with the adjustable paw rest, Judy simply enjoyed being pampered as Nick pushed her through the mostly empty corridors of Zootopia Central Hospital, following the nurse who was about to take her to the room where she would be staying for the night. The pain in her leg was subsiding slowly, and since it had been a long, exhausting day and her last meal had been breakfast, more than twelve hours ago, the analgesic, however mild it might have been, left her decidedly light-headed.

"Why did you tell the press gaggle that I applied for the Academy?" Nick asked suddenly.

Judy shrugged. "You know just as well as I do that your application is a gamble. The City Council and the Academy might still reject you. You would be the second small mammal to apply after Lionheart's Mammal Inclusion Initiative, and I was met with enough derision, sometimes even open hostility." She lowered her voice, both in pitch as well as in volume. " _Go back to the burrows, farm girl! No bunny has ever become a police officer, and no bunny ever will!_ " She sighed. "It was bad enough at the time, but I pulled through. Your fate will probably be much worse. Many will think that a former hustler as a police officer will cast a poor light on the ZPD as a whole. Plus, a lot of mammals distrust foxes on principle." She added hastily: "No offense!"

Nick smiled. "None taken. You're right, after all. And you don't belong to those mammals, obviously."

Judy looked up at him. "Not anymore. I had my share of prejudice and outright …"

Nick put a paw on her mouth, silencing her. "It's okay, Judy, I believe you. After what you did today, how could I not trust you? Or rather, after what you allowed me to do."

"You mean the bite?" She grinned. "It didn't feel dangerous at all. It actually felt … nice."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "It did?" After a pause he added: "Are you into foxes?"

Judy made a frown. "Er, what?"

"Do foxes hold a certain appeal to you?" Nick accentuated each syllable.

"Uh, to be honest, that's not something I've wasted any thoughts on." Suddenly it dawned on her. "Wait a second, was this something …"

Nick shrugged. "Nibbling somebody is a sign of affection among foxes. I wouldn't be surprised if every fox who saw that will believe that we are an item."

She snickered. "A fox and a bunny?"

"I've seen worse."

"You have?"

"When you live on skid row, you get to see all those things the public doesn't want to admit. Including prey-predator-relationships. Some of the more conservative mammals might disagree, claiming that they're none, but that doesn't mean they speak the truth."

"Really?"

"You can bet your fluffy butt on that."

Judy had to laugh at that. "What is it with you and butts?"

Before Nick was able to respond, the pygmy hippo said without looking at them: "Oh, before I forget, I hope you're not bothered by the fact that we cannot provide you with a separate room."

Judy made a frown. "I hadn't counted on getting a separate room anyway. I'm from Bunnyburrow. Wherever you are, it's always going to be crowded. Last time I was in hospital, I had to share my room with five other bunnies."

Nick cleared his throat. "Carrots, just how big is Bunnyburrow?"

"Some 81 million mammals and counting."

" _81 million?_ That's almost ten times bigger than Zootopia!

Judy shrugged. "Like I said, we _are_ good at multiplying."

Nick shook his head. "And I always thought it was just a cliché!"

"Part of it is, some isn't. There are families in Bunnyburrow who have less than ten children. My family, on the other paw … I have 275 siblings." Nick's jaw dropped. Judy continued: "Most are adults now, some have already left our home and established their own families, still there are always more than 200 bunnies living on my family's farm, since some of my brothers and sisters stayed with their respective spouses. This of course means that the next generation has already arrived. By my last count, I have some forty nieces and nephews who live on the farm."

"275 siblings? Wow! Must be hard to stand out."

Judy hesitated. "To be honest, I can't say all that much about it. I'm from their first litter of five, the third kit, to be precise. Only my brothers Billy and Jamie are older, and I was the only girl in my litter. So I always stood out, sort of."

"And when you decided to become a cop, it became worse."

"It did … and yet it didn't. My parents are great. Even with all their kits and grandkits, you will hear no member of the Hopps family say that they've been neglected by my parents. I don't know how, but somehow they managed to make everyone feel important. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I'm an only child."

"Really? I envy you."

"You do?"

Judy hesitated. "Well, with so many rabbits about, there's no such thing as privacy."

"But at least you're never lonely."

"You were?"

"I was. I would have loved to have siblings."

Judy grinned. "Maybe I can share some with you."

"Sorry to decline. Too much cuteness is bad for your blood sugar level."

"I told you not to call me cute!"

"I haven't called you cute, I've just talked about the general cuteness of …"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, Nick!"

Any retort Nick might have had in mind was prevented by the pygmy hippo nurse. "We're here." She opened the door to a room and stood aside to let Nick push Judy past her.

It was a double bedroom. One of the rhino-sized beds was empty, while a young female lynx occupied the other one. Two adult lynxes, one male, one female, were sitting next to her bed. Upon seeing them, Nick slowed to a stop, and both he and Judy looked at the patient in discomfort.

It was instantly obvious that the kit was in a very bad shape. Her whole head was a disfigured mess, a heart monitor was connected to her and a respirator was attached to her snout. Her right arm was in a cast, while the left one …

A tiny stump was all that remained of her left arm.

And the rest of her body, thankfully hidden underneath a blanket, looked oddly deformed.

"Oh my!" said Nick.

Both adult lynxes looked at them with sadness on their features. The eyes of the male lynx widened upon seeing them. "You're Judy Hopps."

"I am," Judy said silently.

Suddenly the sadness left his face, to be replaced by pure hatred. "Behold your handiwork!" He pointed at the kit lying in bed.

"I beg your pardon?" If it had been possible for Judy to physically shrink, she would have done so.

"Look at what you did to our daughter!"

Suddenly, Nick spoke up with a surprisingly harsh tone in his voice. "Judy did nothing to your daughter!"

The lynx snorted. "Of course not! She's the hero of Zootopia!" He got up and closed the gap to them. "You've ruined our daughter's life!" he hissed venomously.

"What happened?" Judy asked soundlessly.

"After you made sure that every Zootopian knows that predators are biologically predisposed to become savages, some prey mammals decided that our daughter was a threat to them. So they did _this_ to her." He pointed at his daughter again.

Judy looked at the kit in horror. "Prey mammals … did this?"

The lynx nodded. "But as it turns out, nobody believes us."

"What do you mean?" Nick asked. "What happened?"

"Karen was on her way home from school. When she didn't come home, I started looking for her. Found her next to a dumpster in a dark side alley. I called 911, the ambulance came and took her here. ZPD was there, too, but they told me that there was nothing they could do about it. There were no witnesses. One of the officers even had the guts to tell me in the face that for all he knew, the injuries might be self-inflicted."

The horror Judy felt was replaced by outrage. "He did WHAT?"

"Don't tell me," Nick said. "The officers, they were two rams, right?"

The lynx looked at him in surprise. "How do you know?"

Nick shrugged. "I didn't, I was merely guessing, but my guesses are usually good. Those two rams have been arrested today for conspiring with Mayor Bellwether. They are police officers, as far as I know," he looked at Judy, who nodded, "yet they seemed to have secretly worked for someone else."

"It is true, then? Bellwether was behind it?"

"It is," Judy said. "We have her confession on record, and she'll be charged with conspiracy, inciting a riot, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and heaven knows how many other charges. All her cronies have been arrested, too."

"What makes you so sure it was prey mammals who did this?" Nick asked.

"Because she told me." He turned towards his daughter. "The last words she said before she blacked out. Has been in a coma ever since."

"She suffered numerous injuries," the nurse added in a soft voice. "Broken skull, broken spine, broken pelvis, broken ribs. Her left arm and both her legs were comminuted so badly that they had to be amputated. Her lung collapsed, her spleen ruptured, she lost one kidney, her brain was severely contused …," her voice trailed off.

"How did they do this?" Nick asked.

The nurse took a deep breath. It was obvious that the kit's fate was affecting her deeply. "Doctor Hendrix said it looked like injuries you would suffer from being hit with baseball bats, numerous times and with excessive force. Plus they had used pliers to tear all her teeth and claws out."

"Say again?"

"They tore out all her teeth and claws while she was still conscious."

Nick, in an obvious involuntary motion, clenched his paws as if he was afraid of losing his own claws.

At this point, Judy was angry beyond belief. "And despite all this, the ram told you it was self-inflicted?" she all but shouted.

The lynx snorted. "Please, don't pretend that you care!"

Judy's head whipped around. "Excuse me?"

In a sudden movement, the lynx approached and came so close to Judy that she could feel his breath on her fur. Looking down at her, adjusting his glasses, he hissed: "It was your statements in front of the press that made life for predators in Zootopia a living hell. My wife lost her job. The only reason I'm not out of work is because I'm self-employed, and God knows for how long, seeing that business is virtually non-existent. Nobody wants to buy books from a predator nowadays. And our daughter …"

"None of this is her fault," Nick said sharply.

"It isn't?" the lynx retorted. "So you mean that after decades of peaceful co-existence, prey mammals just decided to turn on predators without instigation?"

Nick snorted. "Peaceful co-existence? Don't make me laugh! There's always been animosity between prey and predators. Or did you forget what Adolf Hirschler tried to do some seventy years ago?"

"What do you mean? The collars? They never worked."

"Yes, back then they didn't, but given today's technology …"

"Sorry," Judy said, "but what are you talking about?"

"Didn't they teach you in your history lessons?" Nick asked.

"Uh, they might have, but I wasn't that interested in history."

"Well, you should be. So many things that are important right now can only be understood when you know the history behind it. Some seventy years ago, in Gnuganda, a new government led by a stag called Adolf Hirschler ran an oppressive regime. Prey were the rulers, predators were the victims. They were forced to wear special collars which were originally intended to deliver electric shocks on predators if they became too agitated. Thankfully, they never worked. Or maybe that wasn't so good a thing, because it gave them the excuse to incarcerate countless predators for being savage beasts. In the end, they even had concentration camps in Gnuganda, where they killed millions of predators."

Judy's jaw dropped. "Millions?"

"In most big cities all over the world, you'll find a prey-predator ratio of about ten-to-one. In most Gnugandan big cities, the ratio is closer to twenty-to-one. Coincidence?" Nick took a deep breath. "Most historians believe that some six million predators were killed during what Hirschler called the Thousand-Year-Reich. The numbers still haven't picked up again."

"The prey-predator ratio in Bunnyburrow is 1000-to-one," Judy said silently.

"Yes, because it's always been that way. Two hundred years ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find even one single predator in Bunnyburrow. Big cities are a different story. They are melting pots where a lot of mammals who flee the rural areas converge. Prior to Hirschler's regime, the prey-predator ratio in most Gnugandan cities was some seven-to-one. After the regime, it had dropped to some thirty-to-one. And the numbers are only slowly changing again. Some wounds simply take time to heal." He gave a snort. "Guess Bellwether would have been ecstatic, should she have managed to do the same here."

"She would never have been that successful, if not for her," the lynx shouted, pointing at Judy.

"Now wait just …"

"He's right, Nick," Judy said softly, looking up at the lynx. "This is my fault. It's my fault that your daughter was beaten up, that your wife lost her job. It were my prejudices these prey mammals used to inflict unspeakable pain on so many predators." She closed her eyes and sighed. "And I'm afraid I can't make it better again."

"Don't tell me you really want to," the lynx said savagely.

Judy opened her eyes again, looking up at the lynx. "I can't make you believe me, but I can try to give you justice."

* * *

 **As far as Judy's injury is concerned, yep, we're talking human anatomy here, but given the fact that all mammals in Zootopia walk like human beings, I just assume the skeletal and muscular system are quite similar, too. And before you accuse me of blundering my way through biology, I never said that I'm an expert on the subject.**

 **Is Bunnyburrow really ten times bigger than Zootopia? Seems to be. When the guys at Disney created the movie, two of the numerous templates they used to create the city itself were New York and London. Two metropolises of almost the same number of inhabitants (roughly 8.5 million each). So in my universe, Zootopia has about 8.5 million citizens. Don't know if it's canon, but it's good enough for me.**

 **And I just felt the need to talk about being one in 276. Growing up the third of three boys, the only thing that made me stand out was my big mouth. ;-)**

 **In case you haven't read my first fanfiction story, "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life," Gnuganda is my version of Germany. And yes, Adolf Hirschler is my version of Adolf Hitler - "Hirsch" is the German word for stag. The whole topic was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, but worth pursuing. What if they had similar problems in the world of Zootopia, problems we had prior to and during World War II? What if Nazis are prey mammals? What if Jews are similar to predators? What if the collars from the original plot for Zootopia are the movie's version of the "Yellow Badge," the patch of cloth in the shape of the Star of David, which Jews were forced to stitch to their clothing during the Third Reich? Certainly food for thought. And yes, if you want to discuss the finer details of this with me, my doors are always open! History's been one of my most favorite subjects school, and it carried over into adult life. Over the years I've studied the intricacies of Nazi Germany with ever-increasing intensity, because I'm still seeking answers to the questions: What made all this possible? Why did nobody interfere? Why did nobody try and stop Hitler? What made a country full of intelligent, sensible people fall for a dangerous lunatic? Another reason why I love Zootopia so much - the parallels between Bellwether's vision for Zootopia and Nazi Germany are staggering.**

 **That's it for now! More to come - hopefully soon. Thanks for reading, and please, send your reviews my way!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	5. Chapter Five - Detective Work

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Sorry for the delay in publishing the new chapter, but I had a lot of things on my agenda over the course of the last two weeks. For instance (those of you who've read my first story, "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life," including the author's notes, may remember this), on November 18, I was celebrating my 45th birthday! Many happy returns, Jens! (And many thanks to BeecroftA, who really did congratulate me - that really came out of left field!) On top of that, our choir had three concerts to perform, which took a lot of time in preparation and execution. And on top of** ** _that_** **, we had some severe problems with hackers in Germany. They managed to spread a computer virus which took out quite a lot of routers in the whole country, with mine being one of them. It was only working intermittently, but I think I got it fixed now. Which means that I can finally concentrate on completing this thing! Which is still somewhat complicated. This chapter, for example, took me what felt like ages to write.**

 **I have to bow down in gratitude to these fine mammals for sending me their reviews: Galaxyexplorer74, ScorpionTalent, Combat Engineer, Foxlover91, AlbineFox, HawkTooth, Dirtkid123, DrummerMax64, and hpalex13.**

 **A quick look at the stats reveal these figures: More than 2,200 views, 34 reviews, 27 favorites, and 43 alerts. Thanks a lot for your support!**

 **A short comment on the last chapter, on one of my more glaring mistakes: I originally wrote that the prey-predator ratio of Bunnyburrow was some 100 to 1. However, like Combat Engineer pointed out to me, that would mean that there are some 800,000 predators in Bunnyburrow - about as many as there are in Zootopia! Way too many! So I changed it to 1000 to 1. Well, Combat Engineer, like I said, math has never been my forte!**

 **Never let it be said that I don't listen to my reviewers! Speaking of which, a short reminder: Should you come across a mistake, please tell me about it, so I can make the necessary corrections. And of course I will give credit where it's due!**

 **Yet again, I'm forced to answer a review in these author's notes.**

 **Dear ScorpionTalent, first of all, thanks for your review, but you're overlooking several facts: It was Doug Ramses, the very same ram who created the Night Howler serum, who made sure the press conference would go down to hell. He was the one who said that "predators were the only ones going savage." Bellwether wanted to make sure that the press conference would lead to where it finally did, and the naïve, way-out-of-her-league Judy was the perfect foil for this. And I don't believe for one second that the affair would have been blown up out of proportion in such a bad way, if not for the press conference. Bellwether needed someone to rub the fact that all savage mammals were predators under the people's noses. Without her, without Doug's question, the connection wasn't even evident, as the first questions during the press conference proved - one of the reporters even asks what the connection is between the missing mammals. And when you watch the scene closely, you can see in Judy's face that she has sort of a revelation during the press conference, her mind returning to the tiny stage show we see at the beginning of the movie. It's no coincidence that some of the words she uses are taken, more or less verbatim, out of the show's script.**

 **What is more, if you think I want to take responsibility off of the prey mammals, if I want Judy to take all the blame, you haven't read the story. Nick tries several times to make the lynx see that it wasn't Judy's fault alone. I stated several times that Judy was used as an EXCUSE by prejudiced, bigoted prey mammals to justify their own narrow-minded, stupid opinions. She isn't the only reason the situation escalated. She may have been the snowball that started the avalanche, but in the end, she was just the tiny snowball. The majority of what went down the hill was broken loose by other mammals.**

 **Finally, the Roman author Titus Maccius Plautus wrote in one of his comedies that "** ** _lupus est homo homini_** **," a man is a wolf to another man. By this he means that humans are sometimes behaving like a predator towards other human beings, i.e. cruel, sadistic, outright dangerous. And when you look at what ISIL does in the Middle East at the moment, when you look at the unspeakable atrocities the Nazis perpetrated during the Third Reich, when you look at what some idiots do right now in Germany, hunting down and beating up fugitives, I tend to think that Plautus has a point. The individual may be smart enough to see the big picture, but the crowd is dumb. There will always be those who go to extremes to get their point across. There'll always be those who "just want to watch the world burn," as Batman's butler, Alfred Pennyworth (played by the always superb Michael Caine), called it in the movie "The Dark Knight." The escalation of things in Zootopia is just inevitable, and it is blown way out of proportions by Bellwether, who wants to have things exactly that way. This isn't natural, it is orchestrated. Bellwether does the same thing the Nazis did well before they even came to power. And the press mammals, in their enthusiasm to stress the bad news, make the situation even worse.**

 **In my opinion, the movie does a great job at depicting how easily things could escalate. All you need is a tiny spark, fueled by hatred, bigotry, prejudice, and a sensational press, and you have an extensive wildfire on your hands. This is what the movie showed, this is what I was talking about in this story.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Five

 **Detective Work**

 _So I'm workin' even when it's hurtin', that's the only way to make an honest day's wage._

Big Smo feat. Alexander King: "Workin'" (Written by John Lee Smith, Jon Conner, Alexander King and Orig, from the album "Kuntry Livin'," Elektra Nashville/Warner Bros., 2014)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Records Department, City Center, Zootopia**

With a sigh, Benjamin Clawhauser closed the file, leant back on his chair and rubbed his eyes.

Yet another outrageously boring day was coming to a close.

After the mayhem the previous day had brought the city, business had, on the whole, been rather slow. The City Council had been in session the whole day, with the councilmammals trying to sift their way through the chaos Bellwether had unleashed. So far, no results had been forthcoming. The rest of the city seemed to be suspended, as if everybody was just waiting for the City Council to make decisions before dealing with the usual problems.

Clawhauser was waiting anxiously for any announcement, too. Maybe they would reverse their initial decision, allowing Clawhauser to finally leave the dratted Records Department for good.

His hopes weren't high, though.

For decades, the City Council had consisted of 18 predators and 32 prey mammals, which was an unproportional amount, given the ten-to-one prey-predator ration in Zootopia. However, having that many predators made sure that prey were unable to get a two-thirds majority to change laws, even when the Mayor, who did not count towards the number of councilmammals, was prey. The system, while certainly not perfect, had worked for more than eighty years so far.

However, not only had Lionheart been arrested, but four more predator councilmammals had been forced to resign from the City Council. Three of them had the dubious honor of having been charged with crimes like felony tax evasion, thoroughly ruining their reputations in the process, basically forcing them into early retirement. The fourth predator had resigned on his own, although there were rumors that the life of his three kits had been threatened. All four seats had then been taken by prey mammals, so the ratio had changed to 14 predators versus 36 prey mammals. With Bellwether holding the reins, the remaining predators had no possibility to prevent anti-predator laws from being approved. Which was the prime reason why so many predators had been suspended by Chief Bogo.

Clawhauser didn't blame his superior. Bogo was, first and foremost, a crime fighter. In his eyes, suspending capable police officers, regardless of their species, only meant the ZPD was weakened. It had been with extreme reluctance that he had announced the suspension of no less than five predator officers, most of them highly decorated. Since he was appointed by the City Council, just like every police officer was, he was subject to their decisions, and there was nothing he was able to do about it. The City Council had, in a manner of speaking, been forcing his hooves, so nobody held it against him.

Even after Bellwether's arrest, prey still held more than two thirds of the seats in City Council. They still had all the possibilities in the world to make decisions which did little but ruining the lives of predators.

Clawhauser was interrupted in his idle musings by a solid knock at the door. Finally someone to talk to! Since the beginning of his work shift, he hadn't seen a single mammal. "Come in!"

The door opened to reveal a sight Clawhauser had never expected. It wasn't that Chief Bogo had never gone down to Records before, but whenever he had gone there, he had always been accompanied by another police officer, and in most cases they were searching for some specific file or wanted to watch the footage of traffic surveillance cameras. This time, the only mammal accompanying him was a civilian, a red fox wearing a shirt and tie of somewhat jarring colors. The foxes' face showed a smile which looked almost mischievous.

"Clawhauser," Bogo said without preamble, "you've already seen Mr. Wilde yesterday, during the press conference. He would like to ask for your assistance in identifying a few attackers."

Clawhauser looked down at the fox who approached, paw extended. "So you are the mammal Hopps shouted at when we were chased by a savage jaguar."

"Yes, that would be me," Clawhauser said while shaking the foxes' paw. "Benjamin Clawhauser. Just call me Clawhauser. Everyone does."

"I'm Nicholas Wilde, or Nick for short."

"So it's true, you wanna become a police officer."

"I do, yes."

"Is that why you're here?"

"Not exactly." Wilde looked at Bogo with a grin. "The Chief here asked me to fill him in on a few of the more, uhm, sordid details of my past life before joining the Academy."

"Sordid details?"

The foxes' grin only became wider, showing his full set of teeth. "Let's just say I wasn't always a law-abiding citizen."

Clawhauser gasped. "What did you do?"

Wilde shrugged. "I was a hustler. I earned a living through scamming mammals."

Clawhauser looked at Bogo. "And yet …"

"Yet he receives my full recommendation," Bogo interrupted the cheetah. "Given what Mr. Wilde did for this city, I am more than willing to overlook his somewhat shady past. But I wanted to know who the mammal is I am going to recommend for entering the Academy."

"Not that the Chief ends up endorsing a murderer," Wilde said with a smirk.

Bogo gave him a somewhat perfunctory smile. "Would not be the first attempt."

Wilde's smirk vanished. "Are you serious?"

Bogo folded his massive arms. "As a rule, I'm not prone to joking about job-related things. So yes, I am very serious. You wouldn't believe the nerve of some mammals applying for the Academy. We had murderers, rapists, thugs, thieves, the whole lot. Hardly a year goes by where some mammal tries their luck at applying, only to find themselves behind bars because of some misdemeanor they had long forgotten about. Some even try to cover the fact that they are hardened criminals. None of them succeeded so far, as far as I know."

"In other words, I wouldn't have been able to avoid being kicked out of the Academy?"

Instead of answering the question, Bogo walked over to one filing cabinet. With surprising swiftness, he found a certain file and handed it to Wilde. "See for yourself."

Wilde took the file, then his eyes widened. "You had a file … on me?"

"Of course. I read it last evening, after the press conference was over. Very interesting lecture, I might add."

Wilde opened the file, perusing a few of the pieces of paper in their. "So … so you knew about most of the things I told you today?"

"I did, yes. But you told me the same story, so you're truthful. That was important for me. And no, this has nothing to do with you being a fox. I subject _every_ wannabe officer to the very same scrutiny, regardless of species. As the events of the last weeks have proven, there are enough mammals who defy stereotypes in the worst possible way. Never thought I'd arrest a sheep for inciting a riot!" He looked at Clawhauser. "Speaking of which, Mr. Wilde told me that he and his friend were attacked by several rams and goats. They were able to repel the attack, but there may be more to this than meets the eye. We would like to take a look at the surveillance footage."

Wilde said: "The attack happened on Saturday, August 6, I'd say around five pm, maybe five thirty."

Clawhauser turned around and walked over to his desk. Opening his laptop and taking it out of standby mode, he said: "That should be no problem. Footage from the surveillance cameras is stored on the ZPD's server system for three years. On top of that, we also have Blu-ray discs as some sort of back-up." He was typing so fast, his chubby paws were a blur. "August 6, 2016, check. What camera are we talking about?"

"Acacia Avenue. There is one unnamed side alley."

Clawhauser perused a map hanging on the wall next to his desk. "That's District Seven, Area Four, let's see. I know the place. Isn't that where this funky-looking van is usually parked?"

"It is. And the funky-looking van is exactly what I want to see here."

"Ah. Then I know exactly which camera … there we are! I'm activating the beamer."

A few seconds later, the image shown by the laptop was projected onto a whiteboard. It showed a slightly decrepit van with colorful artwork sitting on its own in the side alley. At first glance, nothing seemed to be amiss.

"Must be too early," Wilde said. "Can we fast-forward?"

"Of course." Clawhauser clicked the appropriate control, but the image remained unchanged. The only thing that changed rapidly was the timecode in the lower part of the screen. "A quarter past five."

"Any minute now," Wilde said. "And sure enough … Clawhauser, please …"

He needn't have said this. As soon as a black van had appeared on screen, Clawhauser had slowed down the recording again.

"And there they are!" Wilde put on a smile as he looked at the whiteboard. The footage was quite grainy and the overall picture quality dismal, yet it was sufficient to give evidence that the attack on Finnick and himself had really happened.

Chief Bogo nodded. "Clawhauser, can you tell me more about the car?"

"Uh, no, sir", Clawhauser said slowly. "It's a standard black Ram Van with no unconventional features that I can make out. There are hundreds of those in Zootopia, I'm afraid. And I can't make out a license plate."

"There were none," Wilde said. "Neither at the front nor at the back."

Bogo sighed. "Why can't things ever be easy?"

"Maybe we can follow their trail over the jam cams," Wilde said.

"In a moment," Bogo said. "First, I wanna see this."

All three mammals watched in silence as five mammals left the black van to approach the other one. Three of them were rams, two were goats. They were armed with batons; on top of that, two rams were even carrying somewhat lengthy knives, one of which might even have been a machete. Without much fuss, one of the goats, who was wearing a dark uniform, unlike the other assailants who were wearing an odd assortment of sweat suits, walked over and yanked the back door open. About to climb into the van, he suddenly recoiled and left the immediate vicinity in a hurry. An instant later, the reason became obvious: A tiny-looking fennec fox appeared in the door, wielding a baseball bat which looked comically oversized on his diminutive frame. Even the grainy footage couldn't hide the fennec's enormous fury. Without much ado, he targeted the ram nearest to him, the one carrying the machete. One huge jump, one hellacious downward swing, and the ram collapsed to the ground in a senseless heap. In one fluid motion, the fennec hit the ground, spun around and hit the hoof of one of the goats with enough force to send the baton flying.

Bogo gave a slight whistle. "He's good!"

Wilde grinned. "You ain't seen nothing yet!"

It took the fennec less than fifteen seconds to strike down every mammal around. Only after every assailant had collapsed to the ground, with two of them being unconscious and the other three suffering from broken arms and legs, he stopped his vicious attack. Saying a few (probably x-rated) words to the rams and goats, he raised his bat again, ready to strike. In the meantime, another fox appeared in the van's door, a red fox wearing a bright shirt. He, too, held a baseball bat in his paws, but his posture seemed relaxed - there simply was nothing more for him to do.

Bogo had seen a lot of fighting in his time, so he had (somewhat foolishly) believed that there would be nothing he hadn't seen before. He stood corrected. What the tiny-looking fennec fox had done, most large mammals working at the ZPD wouldn't have been able to do. To say that he was impressed was an understatement.

"As you can see," Wilde said in a conversational tone, "Finnick acted in self-defense."

Bogo snorted. "Given the fact that he was the first one to strike, some judges might disagree."

"But we were threatened."

"That you were indeed. But that's a rhetorical question. Somehow I doubt that the goats and rams will press charges against your friend."

"Probably not." Wilde looked at the screen again, and his smile vanished. Bogo's abilities at reading other mammals had always been somewhat lackluster, but he had no difficulties guessing what Wilde had on his mind. He had been there before himself.

Wilde and Bogo had spent the last four hours in Bogo's office, with Wilde explaining to the Chief in minute detail how he had spent the last twenty years of his life. He had been given accounts of countless scams and hustles, nothing major, but enough to raise eyebrows. Both Nick and Finnick had never stooped so low to turn into outright criminals, but they've skirted the lines of the law to such a degree, it was almost a miracle that nobody had tried to exact revenge on them. There had obviously been close calls, and lots of them, yet somehow they had always managed to pull through unscathed. They had been a hugely successful team.

A team which would cease to exist, now that Nicholas Wilde had decided to pursue a career in law enforcement.

Finnick probably was the only mammal in the whole world whom Wilde would have called a friend. Yet despite this, once Wilde enrolled at the Academy, they would find themselves on different sides of the law.

Maybe the likelihood wasn't all that big, but there was the possibility that if Finnick and Wilde would meet again, the roles would be very much different: Finnick would still be the same old hustler he had been for more than thirty years, and Wilde would be a police officer. (This would only be valid, of course, if Wilde would manage to graduate from the Academy, but after their conversation, Bogo didn't doubt his determination, dedication, and focus for just one second. He would be the first fox in the ZPD, and he would make it there with relative ease and top grades.)

Bogo hoped for Wilde's sake that the fox would never find himself in the position of being forced to arrest his best friend. He had been there before himself, and it had almost turned his whole world upside-down.

He cleared his throat. "So the attack happened, and we can prove it. Now, where does the black van go?"

Clawhauser used the controls again to speed up the recording. They saw both foxes climb back into the van. The rams and goats tried to return to their own van, which took them a lot of work, due to their extensive injuries. The three conscious mammals had a really hard time rousing their senseless colleagues.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to ask around if three rams and two goats were treated at one of the hospitals here," Wilde mused.

"We will certainly ask them," Bogo replied. "But maybe we don't need to. Is this the uniform of Aries Security I see there?"

"It looked like it. I wouldn't have said it otherwise."

"Clawhauser, can we zoom in on the leftmost goat?"

"Yes, sir." Clawhauser clicked the appropriate controls, and the image changed to focus on the goat lying on the pavement, nursing his broken arm. "This looks like a ram's head to me."

Bogo nodded. "That is indeed the logo of Aries Security. The nerve!"

Wilde shook his head. "Seems really stupid, if you ask me. Wearing a uniform when trying to beat someone up."

"They obviously hadn't counted on being defeated."

Slowly, the five mammals managed to make it back into the black van, which took of. "Acacia Avenue, headed towards Paddington Station," Clawhauser said. A few clicks later, they were following the van as it drove through the streets of Zootopia.

"The HQ of Aries Security is in Sahara Square, right?" Bogo asked.

"Near Bagheera Boulevard, yes," Wilde said. "So they need to take a left turn here … there you go!" Wilde kept giving a running commentary on their course, which indeed seemed to lead them where he said it would. It was obvious that he knew their route like the back of his paw. No surprise there - having grown up on the streets of the juggernaut that was Zootopia, of course his knowledge of the city's layout was extraordinary.

Seven minutes later, the unmarked van did indeed enter the lot of Aries Security. All five mammals left the van and entered the building.

Bogo cleared his throat. "Alright, we've seen enough. Clawhauser, can you make a copy of this footage? I want to be able to present it to the District Attorney."

"Of course, sir. I've written down the timecode of each of the …"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Frowning, Clawhauser looked at Bogo, who shrugged. "Enter!" the cape buffalo shouted.

The door opened, revealing a tiny-looking bunny wearing a flannel shirt, holding crutches.

Bogo frowned. "Hopps! What are you doing here? You're on sick leave! You belong on a couch, resting your leg!"

Judy Hopps approached the table, hobbling slightly. She held her right leg up at an angle, preventing it to ever touch the floor. "With all due respect, sir, but I have a job to do. I cannot …"

Bogo interrupted her rudely. "You have nothing of that sort! Doctor Antidorcas told me of some extensive muscle tissue damage!"

Her ears were down as she looked up at her superior. "I am terribly sorry, sir, but I cannot sit idly on my couch, watching the world go by. Not when a most hideous crime has been brought to my attention, and …"

"Sorry, are you talking about the lynx girl?" Wilde asked.

"What lynx girl?" Bogo looked at Hopps with curiosity on his features.

Hopps sighed. "When I was in hospital, I was sharing a room for the night with a young lynx. She had been savagely beaten up by prey mammals. And the ZPD did nothing to find the culprits."

Bogo raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"It's like I said. Two officers arrived at the scene, but all they told the father was that as far as they know, her injuries might just as well be self-inflicted." Hopps snorted. "As if you're able to break your own spine."

"Maybe she jumped off a building," Clawhauser suggested with a rather timid voice.

"On her way home from school? No, she was conscious when her father found her, and she told him she was attacked by prey. She's in a coma now, so we can't ask her. Her injuries are extensive. She lost one arm and both legs, her spine was shattered beyond recognition, her skull fractured, she lost one kidney ..." Hopps lowered her head. "The nurse told me her survival is highly unlikely. And given her injuries, that might even be a blessing. The assailants even used pliers to tear out her claws and teeth while she was still conscious."

"Do you happen to know the names of the two officers?" Bogo's voice, while soft, held a menace which was chilling to hear, even when you were not the addressee of his fury.

"All I know is that it was two rams."

Bogo's posture became visibly tense. "Fleecewood and Ramington, I presume?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems that way."

"Those were two of the rams who were arrested along with Bellwether, right?" Wilde asked.

"They were indeed. They started working here shortly after we found the Missing Mammals. Their transfer from Precinct Seven to Precinct One was arranged by none other than Bellwether."

"Aha? Figures."

"Back then I thought nothing of it. Given the fact that things deteriorated fast in my precinct, I was happy for every mammal I could put to good use." Bogo heaved a sigh. "Seems their malpractices run deeper than we thought. When did the attack happen?"

"Some two weeks ago," Hopps said. "The father wasn't too specific, and I didn't want to pry."

"Why not?"

Hopps sighed. "Their only daughter will probably die, his business is in shambles, his wife lost her job - their life is bad enough as it is. The last thing they need is the very same mammal who brought all this misfortune upon them to stick her nose into their own business."

"I told you before, Hopps, most of it isn't your fault."

"Yes, but some of it is. Besides, the father holds me responsible."

"So you think you can make it up to them by finding the culprits?"

Hopps shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever be able to make it up to them. But justice needs to be served."

"I agree, but we need something more specific, more tangible."

"Maybe not," Clawhauser intervened. "Maybe it's enough to search the personal files of Fleecewood and Ramington."

Bogo nodded. "Do it!"

"With pleasure." Clawhauser got up from his chair to walk over to one of the numerous filing cabinets. Opening one drawer, he pulled out a file. "Here are the files of Cedric Ramington, covering the last four weeks. Their report on the incident should be in there."

"Good. Please fetch me Fleecewood's file, too, just to make sure the report is accurate."

"Of course." The cheetah handed the file to Bogo and walked over to another filing cabinet.

Bogo opened the file and perused it briefly. "Do you happen to know where the attack took place, Hopps?"

"Somewhere in Savanna Central, in a dark side alley. That's all I know," the bunny answered.

Bogo nodded. "Fleecewood and Ramington spent the last three weeks on patrol duty, but they've been assigned to patrol Savanna Central on only two of those days, August 10 and August 19. August 10 was two weeks ago."

"I don't think you'll find anything important in there," Wilde said.

Bogo looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? They come across a badly injured predator, with their father claiming that she had been attacked by prey. Their only response is to tell him that the injuries were most likely self-inflicted. Which, given the circumstances, is a gross professional misconduct. Do you honestly think they'll put an honest account on what happened down in writing? All you'll find in there will be a few short sentences, telling you that they found an injured lynx girl."

"Yes, Nick," Hopps said, "but at least we'll have a time and a location, so we can use the traffic cameras to see what really happened."

"And you honestly think we'll find any useful recording, Carrots?"

Hopps stiffened visibly. "They wouldn't go so far as to delete the recordings."

"How do you know? Have you ever been forced to deal with hardened criminals, Carrots? I have, on an almost daily basis."

"Come on! They're police officers, not hardened criminals!"

"I beg to differ. Working together with someone trying to overthrow Zootopia, destroying everything they were sworn to protect - it doesn't get much more criminal than that. The way I see it, if they weren't hardened criminals at that stage, they were well on their way down into a life of crime. Still they kept their cover of being upstanding police officers. Which in turn means that if they really did the wrong thing, the last thing they'll want anyone to see is what really happened."

"But they can't just delete a recording!" Hopps turned around to look at Bogo.

The Chief shook his head. "The only way to delete the footage from the surveillance cameras is to physically do it in this very room. And, as you can see," he pointed at Clawhauser, who was standing next to him, another file in his paws, "this room is manned 24/7."

The only response Wilde had for that was a chuckle. A few seconds later, after nobody had said another word, Wilde said in a very casual tone: "Please, Chief, do you really believe this? I hate to break this to you, but there are enough hackers out there who'll eat your security systems for breakfast. And I should know, seeing that I met one who was able to do stuff like that with ease. Breaking into the jam cam system, that's a walk in the park for them. No computer system can ever be completely safe. Not as long as there are so many connections between the different important servers in Zootopia. I assume the servers here are in direct connection to City Hall, right? Maybe they even form a LAN."

"We have a wireless LAN system that connects our servers to those at City Hall, yes."

"And don't you happen to know at least one mammal who used to sit at City Hall and would have had a very strong motive to want footage like that never to see the light of day?" Wilde pointed at the laptop. "Look for yourself, but I doubt you'll find anything useful."

Bogo looked down at the file in his hooves and turned several pages, only to stare at an almost empty piece of paper. "It says here that they found a severely injured lynx by the name of Karen Pardinus. Having alerted an ambulance, they questioned their father." He looked up again. "And that's it."

Wilde shrugged. "What did I tell you?"

"Wait a second! That's all?" Hopps seemed to be beside herself.

"Of course, Fluff!" said Wilde. "What did you expect? They were in league with Bellwether. Publicly admitting that prey mammals were just as bad as predators, that would have undermined Bellwether's position. So of course they had to make believe that there was no attack by prey mammals. Do you honestly think they would have written anything different from what they told the father?"

"No, but …"

"Wilde is right," Bogo said. "It seems both officers were deeply enmeshed in Bellwether's schemes. I think," he looked at Clawhauser, "it would be a good idea to put their respective files under an intense scrutiny."

"At once, sir, as soon as I'm done with the copy of the footage showing the attack on Mr. Wilde," Clawhauser retorted, pulling a freshly burned Blu-ray disc out of the laptop's slot. "And here you are."

Bogo's eyes widened. "You're done already?"

"I am. Like I was about to say when Hopps walked in, I had written down the timecodes, so collecting the corresponding files was easy. Burning the files on a Blu-ray disc was what took longest. So yes, I'm done, Chief. Everything you need is on this disk."

Bogo took it with surprising gentleness, given his strength and the size of his hooves. "You know, Clawhauser, since becoming Chief, I had to deal with five different mammals working at Records. Nobody had even come close to being as capable as you are."

If the Chief's praise was intended to encourage the cheetah, it had the exact opposite effect. If anything, Clawhauser's facial expression became even more morose than it had been before. His whole posture indicated that this was the very last thing he had wanted to hear.

"With that being said," Bogo added, "I still think your talent is going to waste down here. Precinct One needs its best dispatcher back, and soon."

Clawhauser raised his head, looking at his superior, and for the first time in weeks, there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Thank you, sir."

Bogo shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious. Precinct One worked fine before the City Council forced me to suspend several officers and reassign others. I want this precinct to work again as it …"

He was interrupted by a cheerful rendition of "Whenever, Wherever" by Gazelle. Everybody stared at Bogo as he took his smartphone out of one of his pockets. Ignoring their incredulous stares, the cape buffalo activated the phone. "Bogo here." He listened intently. "So why don't you patch him through?" Another pause. "I don't care! Just patch the mammal through! Don't tell me you … yes, I'm waiting!" He gave a sigh, looking at Clawhauser again. "We definitely need you back at Dispatch."

"Problems?" Hopps asked.

"Depends. The acting Major wants to talk to me, and Officer Caballus still seems to have difficulties distinguishing the important calls from the unimportant ones."

Wilde snorted. "You mean the horse sitting at the receptionist's counter? She seemed to be more interested in her hoof polish."

"That's exactly the problem, Wilde." He looked at his smartphone, and with one quick motion he activated something on its screen. "I guess you should listen to this."

Wilde's eyes widened. "Uhm, Chief …"

"Yes, even you, Wilde. After all, you're the one who's been attacked …"

At this very moment, a male voice erupted from the smartphone. "Hello?"

Bogo cleared his throat. "Mr. Aries, Chief Bogo here."

"Ah." The ram's voice was the very definition of smooth unctuousness. "Greetings to you, Chief! How are you?"

Bogo rolled his eyes. "Please, Mr. Aries, save the pleasantries for someone who can appreciate them. I just want to hear the decision of the Council. I take it there _has been_ a decision."

"Ah, well, yes, there has been a decision." The acting Major audibly hesitated.

"Aaaannnndddd?" Chief Bogo had never been known for being overly patient, but at this very moment, patience and Bogo simply seemed to be two things as adverse to each other as fire and water.

"Well, it …," Aries began haltingly.

" _Spill it out!"_ Bogo hissed.

"Uhm, yes. Well, after … careful consideration, the City Council has reached the conclusion of not agreeing with your assessment. The suspension of predators within Precinct One has been done for a reason, a reason which most mammals in the City Council still consider so valid that …"

Bogo used one simple word to interrupt the mammal: "Bullshit!"

Aries paused. "I beg your pardon?"

Bogo took a deep breath, then he said with a surprisingly calm voice: "Mr. Aries, the City Council made a grave mistake when it forced me to suspend some of the finest officers this precinct has ever seen. A mistake which opened the doors for countless criminals to plot their nefarious schemes. All you managed to do was weaken law enforcement in Zootopia. Every crime that's perpetrated in this city that could have been prevented if I still had all those fine officers at my disposal, each of those crimes in on _YOUR_ conscience! I wonder if you can still sleep at night!"

"Excuse me, Chief, but apart from those predators turning savage, the number of crimes in this city hasn't risen at all, as far as I …"

Bogo interrupted him again. "That's only because ex-Major Bellwether personally re-assigned several new officers to work at my precinct who made sure that most of the crimes, especially those perpetrated by prey mammals, would never see the light of day." He looked at the disk he was still holding in his other hoof. "I'm looking at one particular example of such footage right now. The footage proves the attack on two harmless mammals who were simply minding their own business. They were attacked by two goats and three rams. All five of them," he made a pause for added effect, "seem to be employees of a certain company called Aries Security. I guess you heard the name, right?"

The ram on the other end of the line became quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again - and surprisingly enough, his voice had lost all traces of unctuousness. "Video footage can be manipulated," he hissed.

"Maybe so, but given the fact that I have the account of at least one eye witness, one of the two mammals in fact, I tend to think the footage is accurate."

"One of the two … they survived the attack?"

"Oh, you wish they hadn't?"

There was a short pause. "Of course not, Chief, but …"

"Yes, they survived." Bogo's voice was barely more than a hiss. "They emerged without so much as a scratch. The same, however, cannot be said about the five assailants. Unless I am very much mistaken, the footage showed several broken bones and concussions. If I were to examine the personal records of Aries Security, how likely do you think it is for me to find the names of five of your employees who were treated for extensive injuries some three weeks ago?"

He made a pause, and when Aries failed to respond, he dropped the last vestiges of being civil. His voice sounded like a veritable thunderstorm when he said: "Let's face it, Aries: Your employees are responsible for savage attacks on innocent predators, and I have the means to prove it! Do not pretend there is no threat to predators! There's one lynx girl in hospital right now! She was attacked by several prey mammals, and it's unlikely she survives. Prey did this! Prey which wasn't exposed to Night Howler serum! Prey that willingly decided to harm predators, maybe even kill them! The way I see it, prey mammals are the savages here!"

He dropped his voice and said in a most vicious snarl. "And yet you have the audacity to tell me into my face that predators are the only mammals which pose a threat? You dare to tell me that prey mammals are innocent?"

"But …"

"Just so you know," Bogo said harshly, "I will look into every single crime perpetrated by prey mammals against innocent predators. And I'm starting with you!"

"You cannot …"

"Oh, I can, and I will. And of course I will go public with this! I have the means to prove that your employees are little more than dangerous criminals. All that remains for me to do is to link you to those crimes." He made a pause. "And when I do, and I think I will be able to with ease, your star will drop faster than an elephant without a parachute."

"You wouldn't dare …"

"If you had any sense of responsibility, you would resign now."

"I will do nothing of that sort!" Aries shouted.

Bogo shrugged. "Have it your way, Aries! Whatever you do, you will fall!" With that, he disconnected his smartphone and put it back in his pocket.

Wilde looked at the Chief with a smirk. "I'm impressed, Chief. You're really willing to stir the hornet's nest!"

"You can bet I am, Wilde," Bogo said, breathing heavily. "A crime took place. It is my job to fight crime. So I will do everything that's in my power to make sure the perpetrators are brought to justice. And if that means stepping on a few hooves along the way, so be it! This needs to end, and fast!"

Clawhauser sighed. "So I'm still stuck here."

Before Bogo was able to say anything, Wilde said: "Don't be too surprised, Clawhauser. Prey mammals hold the majority in City Council, and a lot of 'em were in cahoots with Bellwether. Unless we can do something about this, it's unlikely someone will be able to make them overturn their … uhm, Carrots, what are you doing?"

Both Clawhauser and Bogo turned around, looking at Hopps who had moved over to the laptop. However, given the fact that the office, like most offices at Precinct One, was wolf-sized, she was much too small to be able to reach it, and since her leg obviously wasn't fully supporting her weight, she simply was incapable of jumping on the tabletop. "I want to look for footage proving the attack on the lynx girl."

"Forget it, Fluff!" Wilde said, shaking his head. "Like I said, you won't find anything in there."

"Not with what the ZPD has for a filing system, anyway," Clawhauser added, walking up to the desk. "Here, let me help you."

"Thanks, Clawhauser." Hopps turned towards Wilde. "What makes you so sure that we won't find anything?"

"Just the fact that we're dealing with hardened criminals. Bellwether wanted to wreak havoc, simply to stay in power. You heard just how ruthless she is. Do you think her henchmammals are any better? Ignoring the fact that a crime took place under their very noses, even disavowing the fact, that takes a lot of criminal energy. Believe me, destroying evidence of their wrongdoings was the first thing on their minds, if only to cover their tracks. Especially since Bellwether wanted the public to be left in the dark about the threat prey mammals posed to predators. No, Carrots, you won't find anything useful there."

"Maybe they made a mistake."

"Unlikely. I guess most cops know the locations of the more important jam cams, and most are in clear sight anyway. Deleting the footage will have been the first thing on their minds."

"How?"

Wilde shrugged. "I can even imagine a scenario where Bellwether did it for them. You saw how capable she was when dealing with the jam cams."

"He's right," Clawhauser said suddenly. "There's nothing here."

"What?" Hopps exclaimed.

They all looked at the whiteboard. And sure enough, the footage showed no attack. One second, the alley was deserted, the next, a female lynx was lying in a pool of her own blood, as if having been teleported their.

Wilde shook his head. "They didn't even try and hide the manipulation! You need any more proof, Fluff?"

Bogo approached the whiteboard, examining the footage closely, taking in the SMPTE timecode which showed an inexplicable gap of almost one hour. "This is severe," he said in a soft, but strained voice. "I guess Fleecewood and Ramington have some explaining to do."

"If they want to talk," Wilde said, "which is quite doubtful."

"Let me talk to them," Hopps said.

"That is out of the question!" Bogo said immediately. "You have never conducted an interrogation before, Hopps, you probably don't even know how do deal with …"

"Excuse me, sir, I was valedictorian of my class, and my grades during our interrogation practices were outstanding."

"I don't doubt that, Hopps, but interrogations at the Academy are a lot different from those in real life. Besides, even if the two of them are scum, they were trained as police officers, so they probably know everything there is to know about police interrogation techniques. I don't think a rookie like you will be able to make them talk." He folded his arms over his enormous chest. "And besides _that_ , you don't even belong here! You're on sick leave, for crying out loud! Go home, Hopps! That's an order!"

"To do what?" Hopps fired back. "You're right, Chief, this needs to end, and fast! And it is my duty to do what's in my power to help it ends as fast as it possibly can."

"Yes, but only when you're fit for duty, which you're not."

She looked down at her leg. The leggings she was wearing showed a significant bulk over her right calf, indicating that her leg was bandaged extensively. "I don't need my leg to talk."

"But you'll need it later, when you're back on the beat!"

"My leg will heal just fine. Please, Chief, let me at least listen to how you conduct an interrogation! Even if I can't help you, there's a lot I can learn!"

Bogo hesitated. "Why are you so eager to be involved in all this?"

"Because it's my fault this degenerated so badly! The father of the girl holds me responsible, and he's right! Even if all those prey mammals who attacked predators did so on their own volition, they always used my prejudice as an excuse. I need to make sure that they will be brought to justice, and I need to show to everybody in Zootopia that I've learned my lesson, that they cannot use me as an excuse to validate their own prejudices. Please, Chief, give me that chance! You can put me on parking duty for the rest of my career, I'll gladly do it, but please, give me that chance!"

Bogo looked down at the tiny rabbit. She was truly a sorry sight. With her crutches, her droopy ears, her pleading eyes almost disappearing behind huge rings, she was the very picture of consciousness of guilt. It was true, she had made a mistake of epic proportions, and although she had started making amends, the road lying in front of her was steep, rough, and winding.

What would happen if he kept on denying her to be involved in the interrogation? She would certainly be down in the dumps.

What would happen if he allowed her to be part of the investigation? Probably nothing bad. Whether she was at home or at Precinct One, he doubted that she would allow herself even one second of respite until the damage that had been inflicted by her was mended as well as it was in her power to make happen.

And when he allowed her to join them during the interrogation, at least he would be able to have an eye on her, to prevent her from doing something incredibly stupid, like taking the law into her own paws.

Bogo heaved a sigh. "Alright, Hopps, you may accompany me. But," He bowed down, fixing his stare on her, "you will not interfere! You will keep your tiny mouth shut! Watch and learn! Are we clear?"

Hopps beamed at him. "Crystal, sir!"

* * *

 **Yeah, the unmarked black van is a Dodge Ram Van, and you cannot imagine a better name for a car in Zootopia!**

 **Like the name suggests, Karen Pardinus, our poor lynx girl, is an Iberian lynx (** ** _Lynx pardinus_** **). I specifically picked that kind of animal because the Iberian lynx is known for being a prolific rabbit hunter - about 80 percent of the lynx's diet consists of European rabbit (** ** _Oryctolagus cuniculus_** **) - and guess what kind of animal Judy is … I just wanted there to be real, tangible threat when Judy was facing Karen's father.**

 **And of course, "Whenever, Wherever" was Shakira's first major hit single. Since she's the voice of Gazelle, I thought their oeuvres should be identical.**

 **Again, there probably are tons of quotes hidden in this chapter, but I didn't bother looking for where I found them. If you find some, pray tell me, and I'll make sure the world knows just how smart you are!**

 **More to come - and soon! Next chapters shouldn't take me that long! (I hope!)**

 **Thanks for reading, and please send me your reviews!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	6. Chapter Six - Raising Hell

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Get ready for the next installment of "Wound!" This one's chock-full of dialogue, with very little action happening. This story's heavy on the dialogues anyway. Maybe I should try and write a chapter without any dialogue whatsoever. Sounds like a fun challenge!**

 **A quick look on the stats: More than 3,000 views, 43 reviews, 28 favorites, and 50 alerts. Thanks a lot to all of you for your persistent support!**

 **A huge round of applause, virtual hugs and general thankfulness go out to these fine mammals for sending me their reviews: Foxlover91, Galaxyexplorer74, eng050599, one Guest, hpalex13, Robert Escher, DrummerMax64, HawkTooth, and Dirtkid 123.**

 **The anonymous guest forces me, yet again, to answer a PM in these author's notes:**

 **Dear Guest, I would love to agree with you. Sadly, I cannot disagree with you more. If you really think everybody on this planet knows about the Holocaust (I actually like the Hebrew term "Shoah" better), you have spent the last thirty years in a nuclear fallout shelter. Not only are there heaps of people who have no idea what the Shoah was and what its historic significance could be (and if you doubt that, talk to people on the streets, pretending to be a journalist and asking them to explain the Shoah to you), there also is an ever-increasing number of people who flatly deny that the attempted complete destruction of the Hebrew race ever took place. Despite all the evidence, those idiots claim that the concentration camps (where approximately three million Jews, political dissidents and other people whom the Nazis considered unworthy were murdered) were little more than prison camps, that the deaths had never taken place.**

 **And as far as Judy's ignorance is concerned, do you know Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle? In Doyle's novel "A Study in Scarlet," Holmes had just gotten to know Doctor Watson who is most curious about his new roommate, so our good doctor starts compiling a list of all the things Holmes can or cannot do. Watson even finds out at one point, much to his astonishment, that Holmes is unaware that the Earth revolves around the sun. Holmes even refuses to try and remember the fact, because he doesn't need the knowledge for his line of work. In a manner of speaking, Holmes is the embodiment of a geek, a one-track specialist, brilliant in his area of expertise, pretty much useless at everything else.**

 **Do you see the similarity?**

 **All Judy ever wanted to be was a police officer, and it dictated her every move from early childhood. Much like Sherlock Holmes, she didn't pay much heed to anything she didn't need to reach her goal. As the movie shows, and as I also try to show in this story, she tends to be incredibly naïve about the world as a whole. She's inexperienced, her view on the world is severely limited, and so she blunders her way through life as best as she can. During her time at High School and College, the Shoah had certainly been covered by her teachers, but did she care about it? Not likely - I even let her say in the fourth chapter that she hadn't been interested in history. Maybe she has a general idea about the atrocities perpetrated in the name of the greater Gnugandan Empire (yep, it's my take on history within this story), but I'm fairly certain that her knowledge is feeble at best. That's not her fault, it's just the way she's wired. Fortunately, she learns as she goes, and given a few more years (and heaps of insight provided by a certain red fox who knows a heck of a lot more about the world in general than she can ever hope of knowing), her knowledge about about life in general, about the world, about history, will have increased significantly.**

 **If you want to discuss this with me, no problem! You know where to find me!**

 **Just so you know, this chapter's motto song is somewhat elusive. I first came across it while browsing several videos on YouTube, finally ending up with some unbelievable Basketball shenanigans performed by a group of five men known as Dude Perfect. (In case you don't know them, check them out and prepare to be amazed!) The particular video I came across was the "Dude Perfect Summer Camp Edition," and while these dudes shot hoops from insane distances, a song was playing I quickly learned to like a lot. While I was able to find most of the info on the song and the publisher, I have no idea who exactly wrote the song, so I simply gave credit to all five members of Manic Bloom. If someone knows better, please tell me, so I can give credit where it is due.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Six

 **Raising Hell**

 _Think you always get your way? Don't waste my time. Try to tell me what to say? I'll say what's on my mind. If you want to give me hell, then just get in line. I don't care how much you yell. No, I never will back down._

Manic Bloom: "Never Back Down" (Written by Jeff Brinkley, Jeff Hildebrand, Matt Lawrence, Andy Neale, and David Joel Stevenson, from the album "In Loving Memory," Brinklebrand Records, 2010)

* * *

 **Office of the District Attorney, "Herbert C. Hoofer Office" Building, City Center, Zootopia**

Chief Bogo looked down at the mammal sitting behind the desk with barely contained annoyance. He had thought the evidence he had presented Andrew Horner with was completely irrefutable, proving an attempted attack on two innocent mammals by several armed thugs. In Bogo's mind, there was no doubt that he was justified in asking Zootopia's current District Attorney for a search warrant, so his officers would be able to find the culprits behind the attack. But so far, Horner had watched the footage shown on his laptop with stony silence. Not for the first time, Bogo was asking himself how it was possible that this gutless nimrod belonged to the same species which had also brought forth the compassionate, courageous, entertaining, and beautiful Gazelle.

Finally, after more than ten minutes of silence, Horner stopped the recording and looked at Bogo over the rims of his glasses. If he recognized Bogo's annoyance as such, he somehow managed to not show it."You want me to give you a search warrant so you can investigate the involvement of Aries Security in what you showed me here. Am I right?"

"Why are you asking the obvious?" Bogo said with a grunt. "I tend to think that I have every right to do so. I provided you with video footage which proves an unprovoked attack on two innocent predators by a group of prey mammals."

"Does it really prove it? From what I see, it could just as easily be said that a few prey mammals approached a couple of predators for a nice chat, only to be beaten up viciously and without compunction."

Bogo's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me, just what exactly are you insinuating here?"

Horner smiled. "Oh, I agree with your assessment. I'm merely playing _Advocatus diaboli_ here. What I just told you is exactly what any lawyer would tell you when you present him with this footage."

Bogo nodded. At least Horner was on his side. Whether he would give him the search warrant he was asking him for remained to be seen. Well, if the DA wanted to play this little game with him, Bogo was more than willing to play along. "Right. If you were a lawyer defending those culprits, I'd tell you that most mammals expecting a nice chat don't arm themselves with billy clubs and machetes beforehand."

"Those weapons are easily understandable, given the fact that so many predators turned savage for no apparent reason."

Bogo raised an eyebrow. "The reason for predators turning savage is well known now."

"Yes, _now_ it is. It wasn't back then."

"Even so, five prey mammals, well-versed in self-defense and armed to the teeth, approaching a car and opening it without any probable cause - to me, it looks and sounds like an attack. Besides, I could understand the billy clubs, not the machetes."

"Well, if your life is threatened, sometimes deadly force is justifiable."

"Was their life threatened? If they wanted to avoid any threats to their lives, all they would have needed to do was give the van a wide birth. Instead they actively approached it, even trying their luck at breaking and entering. If they had really been in danger of losing their lives at one point, it was all due to their own actions. That fennec fox may be known for his fiery temper, but …"

"You know him?"

"We have an extensive file on him. Stanley A. Barks, commonly known as Finnick, 43 years of age, a small-time hustler and trickster and a legend among graffiti artists. He's been known for having lived on the streets for about thirty years. He certainly antagonized a lot of mammals over the course of the years, still he always went to great pains to never give anybody any reason to try and kill him. Beat him up maybe, never kill him." Bogo pointed at the screen again. "Those rams and goats had no reason to approach them. They did, so he defended himself. And I want to stress the point here that he may have injured the attackers, but once they were out for the count, he never attacked them again. This is the very essence of what self-defense is all about - prevent the attack, make sure no further attacks can take place. But once the attack is prevented, cease any further attacks yourself. This was, in a manner of speaking, a textbook approach."

"You seem impressed."

"I am. Most of my officers wouldn't have been able to thwart an attack by so many mammals that quickly and efficiently, especially when being ridiculously outnumbered and outsized, and when only being armed with a baseball bat."

"I agree. This small guy sure packs a punch." Horner sighed. "And then they leave the scene and drive over to Aries Security. You think this is enough proof?"

This time, Bogo smiled. "Officer Clawhauser actually looked at more footage, footage I can also present you with. It shows one of the five mammals before the attack, removing the license plates from the very van you saw here. We were able to take a good look at the plates, and they belong to a van which is owned by Aries Security." He pointed at the frozen image on the DA's laptop. "I don't think you need more proof."

Horner sighed again. "Well, everything seems to indeed point at Aries Security." He shook his head. "You understand my position here, Chief, do you?"

Bogo straightened himself on his chair. "To be honest, I don't care. You are the DA, and I need a search warrant. Which is why I'm here. I simply want to bring several criminals to justice."

"Forcing me to allow an investigation into a company run by the Acting Mayor."

"Excuse me, Horner, but that's your job! And the way I see it, being the Acting Mayor doesn't elevate you above the law."

"It doesn't, yet … I was appointed by the City Council."

Bogo had counted on him saying this and quickly readied his proverbial guns. "So was I, still I rather see to it that justice is served, instead of refusing to investigate against a member of a City Council which is very much different from the one we have today. We don't have the one third-two third predator-prey balance anymore. Predators are in the minority, and there currently are several prey councilmammals who think just like Bellwether and continue along her lines of work, using the number's game to their advantage. Just so you know, the prey majority within the City Council has decided to deny me the means to properly fight crime in this city by refusing to reinstate the predator officers they forced me to suspend. Not because they have reason on their side, but because they are either spineless jerks or speciesist, bigoted assholes who do nothing but feed their prejudices, perpetuating Bellwether's schemes in the process. Our dear Acting Mayor, for example, was in league with Bellwether for years! He was her campaign manager when she first ran for office!"

"He was? I had no idea! Just how did you manage to learn about this one?"

"I didn't. I heard it from a very interesting mammal, a hustler who, in his own words, knows everybody." Bogo pointed at the frozen image on the DA's laptop. "It's this fox here in fact, the one still standing in the van's door. By he way, he was the one who brought this incident here to my attention."

Horner looked surprised. "That fox? So he's a hustler?"

Bogo shook his head. "I guess you can say that's in his past. You've actually seen him yesterday, during the press conference. He was the one who helped Officer Hopps solve the Savage Predators case. His name's Nicholas Wilde, and it's true what Hopps told the public about him: This very morning, he officially applied for the Zootopia Police Academy. There are a few speed bumps along the way, like the fact that he has no high school diploma to his name, but once he got that sorted out, he will join the ZPD. Maybe even Precinct One. If his guts, his resourcefulness, and his determination are any indication, he will be a worthy addition to every precinct's roster."

"A fox?"

"Yes. And before you shoot your mouth here, I spent most of the morning talking to him. He was a hustler, yes, but he is more than willing to renounce his old ways and join the side of law enforcement."

"Can you really trust him?"

"Hopps has trusted him with her life. And after talking to him, I know why. He has always been trustworthy, but society gave him no chance. Can you imagine what a nine-year-old cub must feel like when he's denied the chance to become a Junior Ranger Scout, just because he is a predator? Can you imagine what he must feel like when he is muzzled by mammals he thinks are his friends? This is what happened to Wilde. Others may have turned into psychopaths over something like that. He didn't. All he did was treat a society which denied him every chance to become a respected citizen with utter contempt. He hustled for two reasons: One, even today, most foxes still have a very hard time finding respectable jobs, simply because everyone considers them shifty, sneaky, and untrustworthy. He needed to survive, so he hustled. And the other reason is, because of the negative image of foxes, he simply saw no use in trying to be something else. No matter how hard he had tried, he had always been shunned and bullied. I would probably have reacted in a quite similar way."

Bogo made a short pause and leaned forward on his chair. "So, to answer your question, yes, I trust him. He told me the plain truth when he gave me an account of the story of his life - everything he said is consistent with the file we have on him, a file he didn't even know existed. He told me everything that happened to him, everything he did, even those things he isn't, and cannot be, particularly proud of."

"But if he's a hustler, he'll have a criminal record."

"Well, there are indications within his file that he has conned mammals for almost two decades, and quite a lot of them at that, but he has never been found guilty of an outright crime. He was never arrested, never convicted, never served time. Besides, his criminal record surely is something a Mayor or the DA can do something about, I think."

"You want a pardon?"

"No, _I_ don't want it. Mr. Wilde probably doesn't _want_ it either; at least he told me several times that he was willing and able to go to jail for the things he did. He simply _deserves_ a pardon. He put his life on the line several times to help Officer Hopps solve a case which could have destroyed the very foundation Zootopia was built upon. He did it without expecting anything in return. He doesn't want money, he doesn't want medals. All he wants is to be treated with respect and trustfulness, which will probably be a first for him. And I like to think he earns it."

"So, does he have a criminal record or not?"

"Technically, no. He always skimmed the very fringes of the law, sometimes even stepping a bit beyond, but he never stooped so low to turn to outright crime. He never broke into anything, he never stole, he never resorted to unprovoked violence. Disregarding the slightly shady nature of his business ventures, what he did was little more than simple business, the very same one all those countless businessmammals in Zootopia do. Probably the only laws he broke were the tax laws, and let's be honest, what businessmammal doesn't?"

"I'm afraid I have to agree with you on that one." Horner became silent again. Then, after almost one minute of silence, he slowly said: "What do you expect to find at Aries Security?"

"Probably not all that much. The five assailants will probably be at home, seeing that they will hardly be fit for duty, given their injuries. And I don't think anyone at Aries Security could have been stupid enough to run anything like that," he pointed at the laptop, "over the official channels. All we'll probably find are names and addresses. Which is fine, because all I want right now is to find the culprits behind the attack." He made a pause. "However, if we come across evidence which links the higher-up to the crime, I'm also willing and able to arrest the mammals in question. Highly unlikely, I admit it, but my gut feeling tells me these five assailants aren't the only employees of Aries Security responsible for attacks on predators."

"For this, you need to find evidence."

"Of course. The video footage proves the attack on Wilde and Barks, so I can easily use this to arrest the mammals responsible. But given the fact that they've gone to great lengths to not be identified, I tend to think there's more to this than meets the eye. If there is proof of any more crimes to be found at Aries Security, I want to find it."

"Thoroughly antagonizing the Acting Mayor in the process."

"Yes."

"You don't back down, Bogo, do you?"

"I have _never_ backed down, Horner, and you know it."

Horner sighed yet again. "I know, I know." He leaned back in his chair and took of his glasses, twirling them in his hoof. "You know, one hour ago, I received a phone call."

Bogo nodded. "Let me guess, Robert Aries."

"The only one. He alerted me of the fact that you would probably arrive here shortly afterwards to ask for a search warrant regarding Aries Security. He told me your claims were preposterous and outright lies, and that I should shoot you down."

Bogo leaned back himself, a small smile playing on his features. "So this is crunch time, Horner. Caught between a buffalo and a hard place. So what's it gonna be?"

"Well, given the fact that Aries told me in no uncertain terms that my career would be over if I gave in to your ridiculous claims - his words, not mine -, I don't think I have a choice."

"Oh, you do. Believe me, you do."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You see," Bogo said in the most conversational tone that he could muster, "the phone call basically tells me one thing: Aries doesn't want us to search his company, because he's afraid we might come across something which might link him, personally, to these crimes. Which in turn means that there probably _is_ something that could be used as incriminating evidence. He doesn't want it to be found, because he thinks that it might end his career and put his ram butt behind bars. You with me so far?"

"Of course I am."

"So we search the company, we find something, we arrest him. Another Mayor shot down. Which would effectively remove him as a threat to you and your position."

"Only if you find something. If not …"

"Oh, we _will_ find something, believe me. After that phone call, I'm certain of it."

"Yes, but so his replacement steps in, a replacement that, if your words are true, will just continue along the lines of his predecessor. Again, I will be out of a job."

"Not if we go public with this immediately and tell everyone about Aries's crimes and his attempt at threatening you."

"You think that's enough?"

"After what Hopps told the public? She alerted the press of Aries's possible involvement already. Or why do you think he's so nervous? He sees his career unravel before his very eyes. He tries to protect it at all costs, which is where you come in. He puts pressure on you, so you deny me the chance to do my job. Tell me, just how likely do you think it is that he's perfectly innocent?"

"Quite unlikely, I admit it. Still …"

Bogo sighed. It seemed that Horner wasn't willing to listen to reason, so he had to put the squeeze on him. Not something he had wanted to do, but it seemed that the DA was forcing his hooves. "So, I won't get the search warrant, right?"

"Uhm, I'm afraid that's right. I mean, I'm sorry, Bogo, but … you know."

"Fine. You know what I'm going to do now?" A dangerous edge had crept into Bogo's voice.

An edge Horner had recognized immediately; he turned quite pale under his fur. "Er, no."

"Simple. Once I leave this building, I'll go just around the corner and into the HQ of the Zootopia Times. There's a journalist working there who's an old friend of mine. Believe me, when I tell him just what a gutless jerk our dear DA is, you'll find your face plastered on every newspaper in this city, along with quite a few unflattering lines insinuating you of possible involvement in criminal activity."

Horner's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

Bogo discarded every last vestige of civility. "Give me the search warrant; I'm not asking you again!" he growled.

"Are you threatening me?" Horner looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"Yes, I am! If you turn me down now, I will make sure that every citizen of Zootopia knows that you don't have the balls to do what is right, that you decided not to do what you're supposed to do! It's _your_ job to make sure that _I_ can do my job, and if you don't do your job as you're supposed to, it's high time this city gets a new DA who's more willing to listen to reason!"

"You cannot possibly be serious!" Horner got up, straightening himself to quite an impressive height. "Don't you know what I can do to you?"

Bogo got up, too, which was much more impressive. Horner seemed to shrink with every inch Bogo gained in height. "Do you honestly think I care what you do at this stage? So go to the City Council and have them fire me! I don't care! If you do, I will go public with this, and believe me, after all is said and done, the City Council will have lost some more councilmammals, you will find yourself out on the streets without a job, and the new Mayor, whoever it will be, will beg me to return to the ZPD. Mark my words, there is no scenario in this where you come out on top."

Horner literally fell back into his office chair, shaking his head. Bogo continued, somewhat more sedately: "Right now, I'm under the impression that the whole City Council is deeply enmeshed in Bellwether's schemes. It's time we put an end to this. This here is the first step towards doing so. If our investigation really proves that Aries is guilty, everybody will know that the ZPD is being serious about bringing all those to justice who thought attacking predators is a funny pastime. Attacks will cease, hopefully, and the City Council may even start to listen to reason again. Maybe, after we get a new Mayor, Zootopia might once again be the place where anyone can be anything. Right now, the city very firmly shows every predator that their place within society is at the very bottom. It's not something I will stand for, it's not something _you_ should stand for. And if that means forcing the paws and hooves of the members of City Council, then so be it!" He sighed again. "I don't want to do this, I really don't. But if that's the way things are gonna be, then we'll part ways for good, and I can promise you that the next weeks are going to be highly unpleasant for you. Then again, if you find your balls and allow me to follow through with my investigation, I will make sure that every pressmammal in Zootopia knows that you didn't back down when things got rough, that you did what was right, that you did it all in the name of law and order. Your choice."

"This is blackmail!" Horner hissed.

"Why, yes, it is." With a sudden movement, Bogo slammed both hooves onto the desktop, shocking Horner. "Ever since Bellwether came to power," he thundered, "it was as if someone had taken my horns away from me! I ran into roadblock after roadblock _after roadblock_ , simply because I was trying to do my job! No officer of mine was able to do his or her job unimpeded! We were robbed of resources! I had to suspend or reassign so many highly decorated officers that Precinct One is on the verge of total collapse! Someone high up there didn't want us to do our jobs properly! And now that Bellwether's been identified as the culprit and removed from office, nothing has changed! _I am_ _sick to the back teeth!_ This city is on its way down to hell, just because some are so interested in keeping their jobs, they forget to do their jobs! I will put an end to this! And if that means I have to bend the laws," he made a pause and leaned forward, closing the gap between Horner and himself, "I will not hesitate even one second to do it!"

Horner looked up at him in shock. "You are _crazy_ , Bogo!"

Bogo came even closer. "You keep stalling me, I _will_ turn crazy, Horner! And believe me, you do _not_ want to see a crazy cape buffalo! You refuse me this, and heads will roll, and that's a fact!"

With shaking hooves, Horner turned to his laptop. He switched tasks to his word processor, opened a file, made certain inputs and sent the file to the printer. Getting up, he retrieved the freshly printed piece of paper and signed it. His signature looked a bit shaky, but identifiable. "For the record, it is with extreme reluctance that I do this," he said.

Bogo took the piece of paper, and his posture changed immediately. With his most friendly voice, he said: "For the record, while I have a friend sitting at the Zootopia Times, I have never talked to him about my line of work, nor will I ever do so."

Yet again, Horner's jaw dropped. "You … you lied to me?"

Bogo shrugged. "What was it Mr. Wilde said to me? Oh, yes: It's called a hustle, sweetheart."

Horner just stared at him, opening his mouth and closing it again like a fish out of water. Bogo simply turned around, saying without looking at him: "You did the right thing, Horner. Believe me, everything will turn out fine. Have a nice day!"

He had hardly left the office when he broke into a run, search warrant firmly in his hoof. Convincing the DA had taken longer than anticipated, and seeing that Aries knew what was going to happen, time was of the essence. While he had lost precious time getting the search warrant, Aries may very well have made sure that no traces of wrongdoing could be found by his officers. Every minute counted, so Bogo left the "Herbert C. Hoofer Office" at full speed, running the several hundred yards as fast as his legs were able to carry him.

He was slightly out of breath when he reached Precinct One, where he was greeted by several mammals wearing full riot gear. One of them was his orderly, Sergeant Higgins. He was standing next to a ram wearing the insignia of a Lieutenant. Bogo approached the two mammals, saying: "Thanks for joining us on such a short notice, Lieutenant Pecora. Our staffing level's stretched to capacity."

Pecora gave him a smile. "Always glad to help out, Chief. Wouldn't wanna miss the party for anything in the world anyway. You know you always have friends at Precinct Four." He made a pause. "That's goats and rams we're talking about, right?"

"Almost exclusively."

Pecora gave a hiss. "It's always the same! A few idiots bring a whole species into discredit."

Bogo shrugged. "That's how it's always been. You won't believe how many buffaloes I had to arrest over the course of the years."

"Comes with the job, eh?"

"Comes with the job." Bog made a pause, holding up the search warrant.

Higgins' eyes widened. "You got it, Sir?"

Bogo allowed himself a smile. "I do."

Pecora raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage to do _that_?"

"Well, I took a leaf out of the book of a certain hustler who helped solve both the Missing Mammals case and the Savage Predators case."

"Mr. Wilde?"

"It was his idea to tell the DA that I was about to go public with my knowledge of him doing nothing to prevent crime in this city."

"Wow! That's sly!"

Pecora grinned. "That's brilliant! And he really wants to become a cop?"

"He does," Bogo said.

"Good. The ZPD could always use someone who can beat criminals at their own game. All those goody-two-shoes only get you this far."

Bogo nodded. "I think you're right. His knowledge is extensive, and I hope we can put it to good use. Anyway," he handed the search warrant to Pecora, "here it is. You're in charge. We're mainly looking for duty rosters, personal files, patient records, stuff like that. Oh, and you'll confiscate any computer you come across. Maybe they were dumb enough … Higgins here will keep me posted on any interesting developments."

Pecora had read the search warrant and stuffed it into the breast pocket of the shirt he was wearing under his bulletproof vest. "Of course, Chief." He looked at Higgins. "You ready?"

"You bet I am," Higgins countered calmly. He turned to Bogo. "By the way, Major Mastiff has taken over the interrogation of Ramington."

Bogo's eyes widened. "The lynx girl died?"

Higgins nodded slowly. "We got the news shortly after you left, so he took over, seeing that we're dealing with a murder case now."

"Any progress?"

"None that I see. Maybe you should take over personally."

Bogo shook his head. "Major Mastiff's the best investigator we have. If he can't get through, nobody can."

Higgins shrugged. "Well, Wilde said he could do better."

Bogo's eyes widened. "He's still here?"

"He is. So is Hopps."

"Damn it!" Bogo shouted. "Wilde's still a civilian, and Hopps belongs on a couch to rest her leg!"

"Major Mastiff seems to disagree. He personally asked them to stay."

"He did?" Bogo made a frown. "Guess I need to talk to the old wolf."

Pecora smiled. "You do that. In the meantime, we have a security company to bust."

Bogo nodded. "Do it!"

Pecora raised his voice. "All right, girls, mission starts now! Man the trucks!"

Less than one minute later, Bogo was the last remaining mammal in the foyer of Precinct One, apart from the horse sitting behind the receptionist's desk, looking bored out of her skull. Bogo paid her no heed as he turned and walked towards the staircase taking him to the basement, towards the interrogation rooms.

The day so far had been more than interesting, and the evening promised to be even more so.

* * *

 **Rest in peace, Karen Pardinus! (My, am I a devious one! Create a character, establish a bit of background knowledge, only to kill her two chapters later! Yep, there are some quite sadistic tendencies slumbering inside of me.)**

 **Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933, during the Great Depression, and his name lends itself excellently to some fursonification. ;-) The Hoover Dam was also named after him, somewhat controversially though.**

 **Andrew Horner** **is a Thomson's gazelle (** ** _Eudorcas thomsonii_** **), named after the Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson who played a very important role during the colonization of Africa. At one point, he was gored by a buffalo, although he survived this encounter. (But no, Bogo isn't likely to gore anyone with his horns in my story. He's dangerous enough as it is without needing to resort to using his horns.) Gazelle is a Thomson's gazelle, too, which is why in my universe, her full name is Gazelle Thomson. Sue me! ;-)**

 **For a bit more background on Stanley A. Barks aka Finnick, please read my first fanfiction story, "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life," namely chapter 17, "Meet the Creator." I guess you wonder what the "A." stands for. Well, I'll tell you, eventually, when I'll be able to return to my other story, "Hammer to Fall," which is on hold until I'm through with this story, which will still take me some three to four chapters (I think). So please, bear with me!**

 **And Major Mastiff is a creation of both me and Galaxyexplorer74, for my "Hammer" story. He's the leader of the Homicide squad and actually plays quite an important role in my take on Zootopia, seeing … no, I won't tell you. Just read my other stories, and you'll know!**

 **Well, that's it for the moment! Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think of this. And if you find mistakes, please point them out to me! Thanks in advance!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	7. Chapter Seven - Great Sheep Conspiracy

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **And the mayhem continues …**

 **The stats right now are as follows: 55 reviews, more than 3,700 views, 34 favorites, 57 alerts. Your support keeps staggering me! Thanks a lot!**

 **Thanks to these awesome lads and lasses for reviewing the last chapter: Matri, Galaxyexplorer74, one guest (obviously the same one who reviewed my last chapter), AlbineFox, dsleoasguest, Foxlover91, Kenneth Walker, hpalex13, DeAmonQuEen, HawkTooth, The Valeyard, Dirtkid123, and DrummerMax64.**

 **As the last chapter proved, a little bit of proofreading never goes amiss. Thanks to dsleoasguest, and The Valeyard for pointing out this obvious mistake to me. I honestly didn't even realize I was persistently making that mistake until you told me. Consider yourself fortunate that you don't get to see the stuff I write before it undergoes several rounds of proofreading. ;-) Well, like they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating! Have I proven to you my stupidity yet?**

 **But, The Valeyard, is this comma after an exclamation or question mark and before the finishing quotation mark really a mistake? I learned it differently, from an American no less, and you'll find it in a lot of novels in the very same manner I use. If it really is wrong, I'm more than willing to correct it, but unless you can convince me otherwise, I'll stick with what I learned. Besides, even if it's wrong, you can just consider it a quirk of mine - one of many … (Edit: I learned in the meantime that it is a mistake, and I corrected it.)**

 **The topic about the Holocaust/Shoah still isn't settled, so I need to address it once more.**

 **Sorry, dear Guest, but you're still missing the point completely. This is not about technical terms - I merely said I like the term "Shoah" better than the overused term "Holocaust," since most Hebrews are much more likely to use the term "Shoah" themselves. Be that as it may, whether you call it Shoah or Holocaust, the fact remains that a lot of people won't be able to explain to you what either term really means. If it really is like you claim, if everybody really is so smart to know everything there is to know about one of the darkest chapters in German history, then why are there so many people flatly refusing to believe that there has been such a thing like an attempted genocide during the Third Reich? Believe me, there are a lot of people who have no clue whatsoever. Not everybody is smart enough to know and remember everything they learned at school, and a lot of people didn't even care back then. So how should they be able to know as adults? Some simply aren't intelligent enough to see the big picture, some lack the formal education, but some refuse to acknowledge the historic truth despite the fact that they should know better. And those are the real problem.**

 **Regardless of what you think, it's not that everybody knows about the Shoah/Holocaust. I will bet you everything I own, because I know I'm right, and you're wrong. Sorry to be so blunt about this, but I spent several years at university, taking history lessons. This is why I know for a fact that every professor will tell you the same thing I told you: It's merely wishful thinking when you claim that everyone knows everything about the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. If that was the case, and I deeply wish it was, there wouldn't be so many jerks around who still follow the thoughts and ideals of those criminals who laid waste to the Hebrew race. They say that ignorance is bliss, and when it comes to these crimes, a lot of people prefer to remain ignorant. They could certainly know about the Shoah/Holocaust -everybody could -, but they don't want to. Which is why your conviction is simply wrong. And if you insist on simply denying the facts, I guess this discussion has come to an end.**

 **Just so you know, dear Guest, most reviewers agree with me, Like dsleoasguest, who pointed out several other cases of people choosing to ignore the truth to me, like the Katyn Massacre, where Soviet soldiers murdered around 22,000 Polish soldiers in 1941. For years, the USSR had officially claimed that German Nazis had been responsible, but Mikhail Gorbachev revealed the truth. However, even today, there are a lot of people out there who flatly refuse to believe that it could have been Red Army soldiers. It's a sad, sad story really. Just like the Sandy Hook Shooting Conspiracy Theory (isn't it weird that there's an entry on Wikipedia dealing with this ludicrous theory?), everything about 9/11, and even those guys who claim that there's no such thing as evolution or global warming. Dear dsleoasguest, yes, I think the world's slowly turning into a lunatic asylum. Fear surely always works …**

 **Uhm, Kenneth Walker, you are aware that this movie's just a rather silly take on all those topics like overpopulation? And you are aware that, in the real world, bunnies do multiply at an alarming rate? Just ask the Australians about it! In the real world, nature takes care of overpopulation. Once you have too many of one species, a virus spreads like wildfire, wiping out most of the species, and the rest can start anew. Natural enemies like foxes, lynxes, and similar predators do the rest. The is nature's way to keep population levels in check. It has always worked. Nowadays however, at the heyday of medical engineering, most illnesses aren't fatal anymore. Or why do you think the human population is growing like nobody's business? When I was born, in 1971, there were less than 4 billion people on this planet. Today, it's almost twice as much! It took humanity less than fifty years to achieve this feat!**

 **In my first story, "Now your Nightmare Comes to Life," myxomatosis, a bunny disease, wiped out 147 million bunnies in Bunnyburrow alone. This number is actually sort-of-based on historical facts. In 1952, Myxomatosis was first introduced in France. Less than two years later, 90 percent of the rabbit population in all of France had died. Numbers in Great Britain and Germany were very similar. So in my universe, having 81 million bunnies in Bunnyburrow is no big deal.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Seven

 **The Great Sheep Conspiracy**

 _I don't buy supremacy. […] The people you say cause all the crime? Wake up, motherfucker, and smell the slime!_

Red Hot Chili Peppers: "The Power of Equality" (Written by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusicante, and Chad Smith, from the album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," Warner Bros Records, 1991)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Antechamber to Interrogation Room #2, City Center, Zootopia**

When Chief Bogo entered the antechamber leading to the second Interrogation Room, he got to witness a rather peculiar scene. There were three mammals sitting in the room. One was Francine Pennington, an elephant and one of the ZPD's senior officers. The other two were Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. Hopps was sitting next to Pennington, watching the proceedings in the interrogation room proper with rapt attention, her bandaged leg resting on an empty chair. Wilde, on the other hoof, obviously wasn't the least bit interested in the interrogation itself; he was sitting at a nearby table, thumbing through a newspaper in what looked like an idle manner, and slurping from a Styrofoam cup which obviously contained coffee.

The interrogation itself was conducted by Major Adimar Mastiff, leader of Homicide Squad and one of Bogo's direct subordinates, but nobody within the ZPD thought of him as such. It was an open secret that even Bogo considered the wolf to be the veteran of veterans - being one of the oldest and most seasoned officers the ZPD had to offer, even Bogo stopped and listened whenever Mastiff had something to say. His almost flawless service record, his achievements as a crime fighter, his steadfast approach and willingness to put his life on the line in the line of duty had turned him into a veritable legend. He was without the shadow of a doubt the most respected officer within the ZPD and had therefore weathered any attempt by the City Council to be removed from service. Even Bellwether hadn't dared to force Bogo to suspend him; doing so may have caused open rebellion within the ZPD.

It would certainly have caused Bogo to finally go up in arms against the City Council.

Mastiff was obviously trying his hardest to make one of the two ram officers confess to his crimes - it probably was Fleecewood, but Bogo might have been mistaken, as even when looking at them through his glasses, all sheep looked pretty much the same to him. It was just as obvious that Fleecewood turned out to be a tough nut to crack. Arms folded, the ram stared at the much bigger wolf with an expression of defiance etched on his face.

"Report!" Bogo looked at Pennington, who got up from her massive chair at once.

"Nothing so far, Chief," Pennington said. "The Major tried to interrogate Ramington, sir, but came up empty. And Fleecewood," she gestured at the scene visible through the one-way-mirror, "isn't any more pliable."

Bogo looked at Mastiff, trying to read his posture. Over the course of the decades, Mastiff had conducted hundreds of interrogation, and had gained the reputation of being most capable at worming secrets out of suspects. The posture he held now, however, indicated that he was nowhere near any point he wanted to reach. It seemed that nothing he had tried had proven to be successful so far, and the aging wolf was visibly frustrated at the obvious lack of results.

"So, you got the DA to play ball, Chief?" Wilde asked suddenly.

Bogo turned around, looking at Wilde. "Yes, it worked, Wilde. Thank you for telling me how I could do it."

Wilde smiled while closing the newspaper. "Told you so, and you're welcome." He looked at the interrogation. "He's wasting his time."

"What do you mean?" Wilde had obviously followed the interrogation much more intensely than Bogo had thought on first impression.

Wilde shrugged. "It was a good call to turn to Fleecewood; Ramington's much too experienced to allow anyone to try and break him in an interrogation. Fleecewood's still young and much more suggestible. However, even he is much too clever to get under his wool that easily. Just asking him to own up to what he did will not work."

"You sure?"

Wilde gave him a smirk. "As you know, I'm pretty good at reading mammals - comes with my line of … my _former_ line of work. The direct approach is useless; it simply rolls off his shoulders. If you want something from him, you need to break him."

Hopps gasped. "Nick, are you suggesting violence?"

"Of course not, Carrots!" Wilde said in mock outrage. "There are much more simple ways to inflict pain. Words can hurt far more than a bullet or a claw. You know this to be true."

Hopps was quiet for a few seconds. "I do," she finally said silently.

Wilde hesitated, too. "Sorry, Judy, I didn't mean to have it sound like that."

Hopps looked at him, a somewhat forced-looking smile plastered on her face. "It's okay, Nick. I learned my lesson. There's no need to spare me."

It was at this quite awkward moment that the door opened to reveal Mastiff. Bogo peered through the one-way-mirror quickly to make sure that Fleecewood was still being closely-guarded. Upon seeing that Officer Rhinowitz was standing near the back wall, hoof close to the tranq gun, he relaxed and turned back to Mastiff. "And?"

Mastiff snorted. "I could be here all year, he still wouldn't talk."

Bogo pointed at Wilde. "Mr. Wilde here thinks we're taking the wrong approach."

"We do?" Mastiff looked at Wilde. "Please tell me, how would you do it?"

Wilde looked down at the newspaper. "If I were you, I'd stop interrogating him and try a different approach, but to be honest, I don't think you have what it takes to do it, Major. Neither has the Chief, for that matter." He looked up with a smile. "No disrespect intended."

Mastiff barely raised an eyebrow, unlike Bogo, who was bristling visibly. Folding his arms over his chest, he bellowed: "Before I decide whether I should feel offended or not, you better explain yourself, Wilde!"

Wilde gave him a grin which bordered on being impertinent. "You two are way too nice to do something that devious."

Mastiff gave a chuckle. "That's probably the first time in years someone called me too nice into my face!"

For a second, Bogo looked like he might disagree, but then he nodded. "Well, then no offense taken. So, what's your suggestion, Wilde?"

Wilde nodded. "The way I see it, you need to get him to talk without making it obvious that you want him to. He is under a lot of stress, but he covers it pretty well."

"If he covers it pretty well, how do you know?" Mastiff asked.

"Look at his left hind hoof. See the way he grinds it against the floor? He's under a lot of duress. My take is that he's dying to fess up, but he's afraid of what others might do to him if he does. Ramington's his superior, right?"

Bogo nodded. "He is."

"So he probably is the chief reason why Fleecewood's having such a hard time now. I guess there are two ways to get him to talk."

"Which are?"

"One, you could try and tell him that he receives your full protection if he opens up to you."

Mastiff shook his head. "Won't work. As a key witness, he receives full protection anyway."

Bogo added: "It was the very first thing I told both of them, before we even began interrogating either him or Ramington. Still it seems that both of them won't talk."

Wilde nodded. "I thought so. Well, then it's on to the second approach: Paint a picture for him, a picture showing his future and the future of all of Zootopia, using the darkest colors you can find."

"Uh, and this is going to help _how_?"

"Ask yourself one question, Chief: What made him do it? What made a young, dedicated officer with good grades and an unblemished reputation turn away from law enforcement and towards crime?"

"How would I know? I barely know him at all. Money?"

Wilde snorted. "His father, Michael Fleecewood Sr., is running the only remaining sawmill in the Rainforest District, plus he owns three restaurants, four nightclubs, and an odd assortment of other shops. According the the current Furbes list, he's the eleventh-richest mammal in all of Zootopia. Young Michael Jr. here was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Money's never been an issue." He made a pause for effect. "Power is."

"What do you mean?"

"For all of his life, he has always been overshadowed by other mammals, despite being the oldest and heir apparent to his father's businesses. You know why he became a cop? Because during his time at the college, it turned out that he has no business savvy whatsoever. So the burden fell to his younger brother, who was a football standout at college and is now being trained to take over the family business. His sister, too, is having a highly successful career as a model and actress. He has always been sort of the fifth wheel. Reasonably smart, but very limited in his interests. Whether law enforcement was one of them, I can't say, but he doesn't strike me as the 'I-want-to-make-the-world-a-better-place' kind of guy."

"How do you know all this?" Mastiff asked.

Wilde shrugged. "I know _everybody_. Now, imagine what happens in the brain of someone like him, the underachiever, the lost cause, the oddball, when a sly sheep approaches him, promising him an immensely successful career. If I might haphazard a guess, I thin that Smellwether," he grinned, "I need to thank Lionheart for that one, Smellwether promised him the world for a tiny bit of cooperation. Maybe he even saw himself as your successor, Chief."

Mastiff snorted. "Even before we found out what he had done, that hadn't been too likely. There are at least fifty officers at the ZPD who are ahead of him."

"Of course there are, but I'm under the impression that he didn't know better back then. He's still quite young and incredibly naïve - another reason why he was such a failure at college. He probably thought that having the Assistant Mayor at his side would protect him and make sure he got promoted ahead of time." Wilde looked at the sheep who had closed his eyes, looking very tired. "Just look at him! When you arrested Smellwether, you pulled the rug out from under his hooves. His protection is no more, is career is in shambles. His future is bleak, and deep down inside, he knows it. Still, he seems to think there's a way out of this if he just keeps his trap shut. You just need to show him that there isn't. Believe me, if you do, he won't stop talking."

"You sure?" Mastiff asked.

"Want me to prove it?" Wilde gave him a grin while standing up.

Bogo shook his head. "That's a no. I cannot allow a civilian, even one who applied for the ZPA, to conduct an interrogation. It won't have any validity in a courtroom."

Wilde spread his arms in the universal gesture of innocence. "Who says I want to interrogate him. I merely want to thank him."

"You want _what?_ "

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Antechamber to Interrogation Room #2, City Center, Zootopia - Twenty Minutes Later**

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea," Bogo said silently as he watched Wilde enter the main interrogation room.

Mastiff chuckled. "Relax, Adrian! What's the worst that could happen? Fleecewood stays silent. What's the best that can happen? Fleecewood breaks down completely, assigning blame to everyone from his first nanny to his barber."

"You think he'll break down?"

Mastiff took his time answering that question, taking a look at Wilde first.

The fox was the picture of innocent indifference. With his green shirt and the aviator shades he had chosen to wear, ignoring the fact that the sun is unlikely to shine in a closed building, he definitely looked more like a tourist than like a guy trying to bring someone to spill his innermost secrets to him. He was carrying two Styrofoam cups full of coffee, and he had rolled up the newspaper and was carrying it under his arm.

It was obvious that Fleecewood hadn't counted on a red fox in civilian clothing making an appearance, especially not the very same fox he had chased through the Natural History Museum. He frowned at Wilde before looking at the one-way-mirror, knowing full well that Mastiff and Bogo were watching him from the other side. "You can't be serious," the ram said aloud.

Mastiff looked at Bogo, grinning. "I tend to think so, yes."

After having received no answer, Fleecewood turned towards Wilde. "What do you want, Fox?" he growled.

"And a good day to you, too," Wilde said, his tone conversational. "My name's Wilde. Nick Wilde. Pleased to meet you." He sat down on the chair opposite to Fleecewood, placing the newspaper on the desk in front of him and taking a sip out of one of the Styrofoam cup. The other one he placed in front of Fleecewood.

Fleecewood looked down at the cup. "What's that supposed to be?"

"It's called coffee. You know, a slightly acidic hot beverage containing caffeine. Very popular with a lot of mammals, due to its stimulating effects." Wilde pointed at the one-way-mirror. "After having seen you sit here for three hours straight without so much as a glass of water or a doughnut, I thought you might be in need of some liquid stimulation."

"As if I am a guy accepting a drink from a _fox_ ," Fleecewood countered, his voice little more than a hiss.

Wilde shrugged. "Your loss." He leaned forward to retrieve the other cup of coffee. "Did you know that foxes are nocturnal? Without coffee, I wouldn't be able to work during daytime."

"Why don't you just stick to your nocturnal routine, then? Would give a lot of mammals in Zootopia an easier time, knowing that sneaky and sly foxes won't bother them in broad daylight."

If Wilde felt insulted by this, he hid it very well. His Aviator shades surely helped hiding his emotions. "What, and miss this great beverage? I love coffee. This ones from the cafeteria, and it tastes great." He took a sip, making a face. "Okay, that was a lie, it tastes like hot dishwater. Still, it's the caffeine that I'm after. And I guess this sorry excuse for a coffee delivers in spades." He took another sip. "Pity its taste is such a disappointment."

"What do you want?" Fleecewood asked again. "You're not an officer. You cannot interrogate me. No judge in the whole wide world will listen to anything you have to say." He made a pause, obviously for effect. "Especially not since you are a _fox_."

Wilde leaned back, sipping his coffee. "Well, His Chiefness and the one-eyed Major told me the exact same thing. I had to do my very best hustle to be able to convince them to let me in here. Because all I want to do is thank you."

Fleecewood flinched slightly, barely noticeable by Bogo. "What?"

"Well, Mick - I might call you Mick, right?"

"No, you may not!"

"Do you prefer Michael?"

"I would prefer you don't talk to me at all, Fox!" Fleecewood hissed.

Wilde made a frown. "You hurt me, Michael! What have I done to you to deserve this kind of treatment?"

Fleecewood seemed to try the sarcastic approach. "You mean, apart from the fact that you are a sneaky, conniving fox? Your species is the most hated one in all of Zootopia. I wouldn't trust a fox if my life depended on it."

Wilde gave him a smile. "Are you really sure your assessment is correct?"

Fleecewood stared at him. "Foxes have always been sneaky and untrustworthy. Everybody knows that."

"Well, maybe that's true, and maybe it isn't," Wilde said nonchalantly. "But are you really sure that my species is the most hated in all of Zootopia?"

"Of course I am!"

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you. See, it seems to me that you and your goons single-hoovedly managed to turn sheep into the most detested species in Zootopia."

Now Fleecewood's flinch was pronounced. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of an answer, Wilde picked up the newspaper and unfolded it to reveal the front page. In huge letters, the newspaper bore the headline: "The Great Sheep Conspiracy."

Fleecewood stared at the newspaper as if he had seen a ghost. Wilde said in a very soft voice: "It says in here that a bunch of sheep, namely Mayor Dawn Bellwether, a scientist of renown named Doug Ramses, his henchmammals Woolter White and Jesse Shearman, plus three sheep police officers named Cedric Ramington, Moses Argali, and Michael Fleecewood Jr., have been single-hoovedly responsible for disturbing the peace in Zootopia." When Fleecewood said nothing, Wilde continued: "There's one op-ed article in there, too. In it, the author claims that it seems like sheep on the whole cannot be trusted anymore. Especially since Officer Hopps told the press gaggle yesterday that the current Acting Mayor, Robert Aries, might be involved in some unprovoked attacks on harmless predators." He made a pause for effect. "I simply wanted to thank you and your cronies for making sure foxes are no longer at the low end of the food chain." He dropped the paper again and took another sip from his cup.

"This is brilliant," Mastiff said with an approving nod. "It took him less than a minute to thoroughly rattle Fleecewood."

Bogo had to concur. "The thought to try something like this didn't even occur to me."

Mastiff gave a chuckle. "Maybe we really are too nice for this kind of stuff."

"Maybe we are."

Fleecewood still looked at the paper, while Wilde had his head turned in his direction - whether he was looking at him was hard to determine, due to his shades. "Just imagine what your father must feel like," he said, his voice still calm and soft, almost soothing. "His own son bringing his entire species in discredit. I don't think your father will be able to sell lumber to ITREEA anymore, seeing that their boss, Ingvar Älgrad, always made sure that a lot of his employees are predators. What a shame, seeing that they are his best business partners. What about his restaurants? Two of them cater mostly for predators. Do you think business will be booming? I guess your father's ecstatic about what you did here."

He leaned forward, and suddenly, his voice turned harsh. "And as far as you're concerned, Michael, you're screwed! Bellwether will be in the can for the foreseeable future, and so are you and your buddies, regardless of what you do here, regardless of whether you own up to what you did or not. And do you honestly think all those predators in prison will take kindly to you and your cronies?" Wilde got up from his chair. "I'm giving you three years, tops, before you'll be either dead or broken. You can keep the paper. Maybe it'll keep you company in here. You can try and eat it, maybe it'll make up for the meals you missed." He turned to leave.

"There is no sheep conspiracy." Fleecewood's voice was soft, barely audible.

Wilde stopped dead in his tracks. "There isn't?"

Fleecewood shook his head. "There are a lot of other mammals involved."

And just like Wilde had predicted, once Fleecewood had started talking, there was no stopping him.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Antechamber to Interrogation Room #2, City Center, Zootopia - Three Hours Later**

"This is unbelievable!" Mastiff was beside himself with glee. "Three more councilmammals, one lawyer, one judge, several smaller companies, including three security companies - just how many mammals were involved?"

Bogo shrugged. "I guess I need to pay Horner another visit. I need a few more search warrants."

"Oh yes, you do! Speaking of which, what did the search at Aries Security reveal?"

"No idea. Haven't heard from Higgins yet. Do you honestly think Ramington was stupid enough to keep a copy of the video footage they destroyed?"

Mastiff shook his head. "Don't think so. Then again, a lot of criminals love keeping mementoes, reminding them of their successful crimes. Well, if there's anything to be found, Pennington will find it."

Bogo looked at his watch. A quarter to ten pm. He looked down at Hopps who, at one point during Wilde's "interrogation," had succumbed to her fatigue. She was sitting slumped in her chair, both feet resting on the empty chair, snoring softly.

Mastiff looked down at her, too. "Don't know how she did it. This was so entertaining, stuff like that can keep me up for days!"

"The last weeks have been really hard on her. I guess before she's fit for duty again, she needs to thoroughly rest and recuperate."

The door opened, revealing Nick Wilde who was visibly tired, but smiling like he had just eaten a canary. "Hope you got all this on tape," he said.

"We have," Bogo said gravely. "Officer Pennington is trying to find the Blu-ray disc showing the attack on the lynx girl as we speak."

"I don't think she'll find anything," Wilde said with a dismissive gesture. "Ramington's too smart to fall into such …"

He was interrupted by the door opening again. Pennington entered the room, holding a tiny-looking disc in her hoof, not without some difficulty. "Found something, Chief," she said. "It was in Ramington's locker - what's left of it. He had used some quite esoteric lock, so I had to smash the door."

"It's okay," Bogo said, taking the disk carefully, as if handling a paw grenade with a pulled pin. "We can always replace those."

Wilde looked at the disk. "Well, I stand corrected. Seems Ramington wasn't as smart as I thought he'd be. Are you sure it's the right one?"

Pennington shrugged. "It was the only one there."

"There's only one way to find out," Mastiff said. He turned to Wilde, kneeling down in front of him and offering his paw. "That was probably the best interrogation I've ever seen! And I've seen a lot of 'em. Outstanding work, Wilde!"

Wilde returned the pawshake. "Thank you, sir. It's been a real pleasure, honestly."

"Feels good to be working on this side of the law, eh?"

Wilde gave him a grin. "Surprisingly enough, it does. Never thought this would be so much fun."

Mastiff nodded, then his features became stern. "So you're serious about becoming a police officer. That's right?"

"It is," Wilde said without hesitation.

Mastiff nodded. "You are aware of the fact that even with Bogo's ringing endorsement, being accepted into the ZPA's still difficult for you."

"I surmised as much." Wilde's tone suggested he was well aware of the shaky situation he was still in.

Mastiff got up again, looking at Fleecewood who was just being led out of the interrogation room by Officer Rhinowitz. "I'll tell you what, Wilde: After what you did today, I'd say losing your knowledge and abilities would be a damn shame. You got yourself another advocate. It so happens that I know most of the instructors at the ZPA personally, and my words carries some weight around them. I'll make sure you make it into the ZPA, if it's the last thing I do."

Wilde gave him a slight bow. "Why, thank you, sir."

"The rest is up to you, of course," Mastiff continued. "But after what I've seen here, I'm sure you will succeed with distinction."

"I hope so," Wilde said, looking at Hopps with a frown. "She fell asleep?"

"She fell asleep almost an hour ago, so she saw the first part of your handiwork."

Wilde looked at his wristwatch. "I was in there for _three hours_? No wonder I'm so tired!"

"I suggest you go home, Wilde," Bogo said gently. "You've done enough today. Go get some sleep!"

Wilde nodded, hiding a yawn behind his paw. "Is it okay if I return tomorrow? I'd love to see what's on that disc."

Bogo nodded. "After what you achieved, I think you deserve the right to be in the know. In a manner of speaking, it's as much your case as it is ours. We'll continue tomorrow, at oh-eight-hundred sharp."

"I'll be there." Wilde walked over to Hopps, placing a paw on her shoulder and giving her a gentle shake. "Wake up, Carrots! Time to go to bed!"

Hopps awoke with a start. "What's the time?" she asked, then she gave a wide yawn. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not much," Wilde said. "We're done. Should I take you home? I think sleeping in a bed is better than sleeping on a chair."

Hopps placed her hind paws on the ground again, hissing slightly. Grabbing both crutches and getting up from her chair, she said: "That would be very nice, thank you."

"Where do you live, by the way?"

"Oh, my landlady still hadn't relet my old room, so I'm living at the Grand Pangolin Arms apartment building again. Just like I did before."

"You live at the Grand Pangolin Arms? My, just how small is your apartment?"

"You know the place?"

"Carrots, I grew up here. I know _everything_ there is to know about Zootopia. And the Grand Pangolin Arms is known for its notoriously small apartments and its unbelievably thin walls."

Hopps grinned at him. "Have you ever been in there?"

"No, not so far. Guess this changes today."

"It does. But to answer your question, my apartment's big enough for me, but probably too small for anything bigger than a bunny."

Bogo approached the two of them. "Hopps, I expect you to stay at home until you've fully recovered. You were dead on your paws today, and I expect you to return here at the full height of your abilities. It was a good call of you to alert us to the crimes of Ramington and Fleecewood today, but your work here is done."

Hopps opened her mouth, then she closed it again and gave a sigh. "You're right, Chief. Thanks for giving me this opportunity today."

"You're welcome. Go home! Have a good night."

"You too, Chief. Major Mastiff, it was a pleasure meeting you."

"The feeling's mutual," Mastiff said with a smile. "Good night to you, Hopps. And Wilde."

"Good night." Wilde put his arm around Hopps's shoulder. "Come on, Carrots, let's get you home."

They left the interrogation room antechamber together. Mastiff looked after them. As soon as they had shut the door behind them, he said: "They're an odd couple, but it seems they do understand each other really well."

"They do," Bogo countered.

"Are you planning to team them up, when Wilde joins us here?"

" _If_ he joins us … yes, probably."

Mastiff gave a chuckle. "Criminals of Zootopia, beware! The over-energetic bunny and her devious partner are about to be let loose on this city!"

"Well, she wasn't that over-energetic today."

"She will be. And I promise you this, Adrian, you will have a lot of fun with the two of them."

Bogo gave a sigh. "That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

 **"** **My name's Wilde, Nick Wilde. I'm the secret agent with the license to chill." (Sorry, couldn't resist!)**

 **In case you're wondering why Nick refers to Mastiff as the "one-eyed Major," just read my "Hammer to Fall" story.**

 **Yes, Michael "Mick" Fleecewood is a pun on Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac fame. And using his name is a huge disservice to this great hall-of-fame-musician, but I hope he can forgive me - the idea was just too good to drop.**

 **Ingvar Kamprad is the founder of IKEA, and seeing that he's Swedish, I thought he needed to be a moose - älg is the Swedish word for moose.**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter! Keep a weather eye open for the continuation of Nick running Wild(e)! Please send me your comments!** **And since I know I made a lot of mistakes - again! -, please tell me, so I can weed them out!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	8. Chapter Eight - Atrocities in Droves

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Finally, the first author's notes in a long time which doesn't contain an in-depth explanation to someone who sent me an anonymous review! So let's cut to the chase, shall we?**

 **The stats I'm looking at right now are this: More than 4,300 views, 68 reviews, 38 favorites, and 62 alerts. I'm deeply in your debt for making this such a joy to do!**

 **A whole lotta love goes out to these mammals for sending me their reviews: Combat Engineer, Foxlover91, Archangel12575, Matri, Galaxyexplorer74, .2015, the-writer1988, DSLeo, Rylovix, niraD, BeecroftA, DrummerMax64, and DeAmonQuEen.**

 **I stumbled across a rather silly mistake I made. When Nick was talking to Fleecewood in the last chapter, I had him mention all the names of all the mammals arrested along with Bellwether, among them Cedric Ramington. Little did I realize that I had already given him a first name, way back in Chapter Five. Back then, I called him Edward Ramington. I guess I should start making a list containing all the names and species of all the mammals I invented - remembering names has never been a strong suit of mine … Anyway, his name's Cedric; I made a change within Chapter Five to correct this incongruity.**

 **The Valeyard pointed it out to me, and the-writer1988 confirmed it: My approach to dealing with commas within quotations is obviously wrong. Well, in my defense, I can only say that I'm German, so I make a lot of mistakes, simply because I don't know better. Well, this one won't happen again, and if I find the time, which is quite unlikely at this stage, I will edit all the chapters I published so far to delete the superfluous commas. Anyway, thanks for telling me! I'm constantly thriving to improve my English, so any input is very welcome! (Edit: I did it in the meantime! Thanks again!)**

 **There isn't that much story or character development in this chapter. It merely marks the transition to the next - and final - phase of this story. And just so you know, it's all but nice and fluffy. Reader discretion is advised! And contrary to my usual approach to most things, no, this is NOT a joke!**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Eight

 **Atrocities in Droves**

 _The ultimate in vanity, exploiting their supremacy._

Metallica: "… and Justice for All" (Lyrics by James Hetfield, Music by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, from the album "… and Justice for All," Elektra, 1988)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

Somebody cleared his or her throat. Christine Caballus looked up from the fashion magazine she was perusing to look over the counter, but all she saw were two red, pointy ears. She straightened herself to look the mammal in the eyes.

Emerald eyes. Eyes belonging to a slender red fox, wearing a light green shirt which wouldn't have looked out of place on Pawaii. He held a pair of Aviator shades in his left paw and looked at her with a friendly, honest smile. "Good morning, officer," he said.

"Good morning," Caballus answered. "You must be Nicholas Wilde."

"The only one. And your name's Christine Caballus, right?"

Caballus looked at him in surprise. The name plate adorning the counter merely showed her last name. How the heck had this fox found out about her first one? "Do we know each other?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but aren't you the youngest daughter of Councilmammal Cameron Caballus?"

"Ah. Yes, I am." She sighed. "Although that isn't a source of particular pride right now."

"What do you mean?"

Caballus put on a grin which, even to her, seemed quite forced. "The rate Chief Bogo's going, there won't be many councilmammals left when he's done."

"Why? Have there been more arrests?"

"Well, the Chief left some ten minutes ago to arrest the Acting Mayor, Robert Aries. And after he's done, he's going to pay the DA another visit to get more search and arrest warrants. After all, Fleecewood told us that three more councilmammals were involved in Bellwether's schemes. If they really were, the Chief will want to have them arrested as quickly as possible. In his opinion, every minute a criminal walks free is a minute wasted."

"Understandable. The City Council played the ZPD for a sucker for way too long."

Caballus looked down. "Yeah, looks like it."

Wilde said softly: "But your father wasn't among those doing it, right?"

"He wasn't, but that's little consolation now. A few weeks ago, being able to say that my father was a councilmammal was a source of pride. Now, it's a source of shame." She made a pause. "How did you know my father was opposed to predator officers being suspended?"

"I didn't know, I merely assumed as much. There's a healthy number of predators working in his company, and as far as I know, he hasn't fired a single one of them so far."

"And he won't. There are a lot of predators among his friends and business partners. You won't see him take sides against them. One of the mammals working for him even is a fox."

"Ah. I had no idea."

"Unless I'm mistaken, he works at administration, and he's a financial genius, as far as I know."

"Do you know the name?"

"No, sorry. I'm not that interested in my father's work, to be honest."

"You have your own, right?"

Caballus sighed again. "What little there is. Yesterday, when Aries forced through the motion to keep the predator officers suspended, my father voted against him - probably the first time he switched sides to vote against the Democrats and for the Republicans. Still, it wasn't enough. His side lost by 26 votes to 24."

"That makes merely fifty. Has nobody moved up to take the seat Aries had to leave behind after he became Acting Mayor?"

"Not so far, and now they even gonna need another one!"

Wilde gave a small smile. "Hopps was right, we really seem to be running through those Mayors. I mean, the third one in about three months? That's extraordinary. Speaking of being arrested, the search party really did find evidence pointing towards Aries?"

"And a whole lot of it. They found a computer with a hard drive which looked completely empty."

Wilde made a frown. "Uhm, what do you do with a computer without any data on it?"

"Oh, there was data on it alright. The hard drive looked empty at first sight, but it wasn't, not by a long shot, because nobody had bothered to wipe it."

"Which means what?" He shrugged. "Sorry, but you're talking to a complete dyslexic when it comes to computers. I know how to work with them, but I have no idea how they work."

"No problem. It's actually easy enough to understand. There were tons of data hidden on the drive. Someone tried to erase the data, but he or she obviously didn't know the first thing about computers."

Wilde grinned. "Sounds an awful lot like me. What did the mammal in question fail to know?"

"Well, if you delete a file, it isn't gone. All the computer does is declaring open season on the file. The deleted file is simply marked as 'to be overwritten' in the Master File Table, which is sort of a table-of-contents of a hard drive. A file is completely erased only if every byte in it was overwritten by new data. As long as it isn't, anyone could restore the data."

"Ah. Interesting! So the files were still present?"

"All of them. And guess what, we even found a memo indicating that it was Aries himself who ordered the attacks on predators. You were among those they attacked, right?"

"I was. Me and my friend were, actually. But we were able to defend ourselves."

"Well, the attack on you and your friend was only one of them. We found enough evidence to be able to accuse Aries of being responsible of ordering no less than eighteen similar attacks, most of which led to grievous injuries. As far as we know, employees of Aries Security were responsible for putting no less than thirty-three predators in hospital."

Wilde gave a low whistle. "That was all still on the hard drive?"

"Every single file. Memos, rough drafts of emails, duty rosters, the whole shebang. Even the basic structure of the files was still intact. Everybody who's into computers could have recovered the stuff. Seems like whoever tried deleting the files had no clue about basic security measures concerning computers. Which is quite funny, seeing as the mammal works at a security company."

"Well, not everybody is as smart as you obviously are. You're into computers?"

"Oh yes, I am. I grew up with computers, and I spend a lot of time tinkering with them."

Wilde nodded. "Let me guess, you were the one working at Records, right?"

Caballus flinched visibly. "I was," she responded flatly.

"So Clawhauser and you simply traded places."

"Yeah." She looked around carefully, making sure that nobody was able to overhear her. "And I so wish to be back at Records! I hate this! This must be the worst place in the whole wide world for me to work at!"

"And why is that?" Wilde's voice was soft, encouraging, and his smile warm and inviting, coaxing her to tell him more.

Caballus pointed at the laptop sitting on the counter. "All I have here is this! There's no-one at the ZPD who knows more about computers than I do, yet they put me here!"

"Funny," Wilde said. "There's a cheetah working down at Records who says the exact same thing, only in reverse."

"Yes. There's no-one at the ZPD better suited to be working at this counter, yet they put him in Records! Talk about mismanagement!"

"It's not Bogo's fault. The City Council forced him to do it."

"I know, but do you think this makes it better? My own _father_ wasn't able to do anything about it. In the end, his inability is the reason for my reassignment. He knows it, he knows I hate it, and he hates that he had no choice." She made a pause. "That sounds like he merely voted against Aries to make sure I have the job I like most."

Wilde shrugged. "There are worse reasons for doing the right thing. Look at it like this: One of the mammals responsible for all those suspensions and reassignments is being arrested as we speak. And Bogo certainly won't stop there. Give him one more week, and the City Council will be in shambles. And when we get there, the remaining councilmammals will certainly not oppose any more motions asking for predators to be reinstated. And as far as pride is concerned, if I were you, I would take pride in the fact that your father won't be among those being arrested."

"I know. My father would never have joined Bellwether and contributed to her crimes. He deeply believes in equality and personal freedom, a world without bias and prejudice." She sighed. "I know he's often accused of having become a councilmammal only to protect his construction company, but deep down inside, he wants to do good. It just happens that he doesn't get the chance to do so very often.

"Even so, that's something you can be proud of, a father who's steadfast in his beliefs, who won't give in to the majority if he thinks what the majority does is wrong. This city needs councilmammals like him." He smiled. "And the ZPD needs the predator officers back, you need to be back at Records, and Clawhauser needs to be back here. And the way I see it, it won't take much longer than one week before the City Council will give in and reverse their stupid decisions. We've given them enough evidence showing that predators are no threat. Upholding the suspensions will probably be the straw which breaks the camel's back. The situation's really tense at the moment. Did you know that a bunch of predators organized some sort of silent vigil in front of City Hall?"

"Yeah, my father told me yesterday. But it wasn't predators?"

Wilde made a frown. "Not? When I walked past them, most of them seemed to be predators. There were some prey mammals among them, granted, but it seemed to be a predator thing to me."

"Yes, but the vigil has been instigated and organized by Gazelle. She told my father that she and her followers won't leave until predators have the same rights as prey again. She even interrupted her tour to do it."

"Wow! Maybe I should start listening to her music."

"You didn't so far?"

Wilde gave her a grin. "I'm more of a rock music fan."

"You don't know what you're missing." She returned the grin. "Tell me, how did you manage to make Fleecewood fess up?"

Wilde grinned. "Sorry, trade secret!"

Caballus guffawed. "Oh, come on!" It suddenly dawned on Caballus that she had never talked to someone she had just met in such a relaxed manner. She had never exactly been a mammal person, which was another reason why being stuck as dispatcher and receptionist had been such a bad idea. She simply preferred computers to mammals. Wilde had made her feel at ease in a way nobody before him had ever managed to do.

She had even admitted her misgivings towards all those mammals who had been responsible for her being stuck here to him. Something she hadn't even told her boyfriend.

Bogo had told her that Wilde had been hugely successful at hustling mammals. She began to understand why.

"It was simple, actually," Wilde said. "All I did was show Fleecewood just how deep the grave that he had dug for himself already was. He and his buddies pretty much destroyed the high esteem everybody held sheep in. Seeing that his father runs several companies relying heavily on trade with predators, seeing that there are a lot of predators in jail who won't exactly like meeting one of the mammals responsible for mass harassment of predators, seeing that there's no one in the whole wide world who'll still support him - I guess the weight on his shoulders became a little bit too heavy to bear. I simply told him all those things."

"That was it? It was that easy?"

Wilde shrugged. "To someone like me, it was, yes."

"So you really were a hustler."

Wilde hesitated. "I was, yes. Still am, I think."

Caballus shrugged. "So what? The Chief trusts you, and since I trust the Chief, I trust you."

Wilde nodded. "Thank you very much."

"Speaking of the Chief, he told me to tell you that you should go down and visit Clawhauser. He's just sifting through the Blu-ray disc Pennington found in Ramington's locker. They should both be down there. You know the way, I presume?"

"I do, yes. Oh, and by the way, if it's any consolation, Chief Bogo told me that he would love to have Precinct One running like it did before, with Clawhauser sitting here and you being back with Records. I guess he will not rest idle until he has achieved this."

"Yeah, I know, he already told me." Caballus sighed. "I wish he succeeds. This sucks, badly."

Wilde nodded. "I can tell. But just so you know, I think you're doing a good job."

"Why, thank you. Have a nice day!"

"You too, Officer." Wilde turned away and sauntered through the lobby towards the staircase leading towards the basement.

"And you want to be a cop?" Caballus thought aloud and chuckled. "Criminals, beware! You won't know what hit you!"

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Records Department, City Center, Zootopia**

Francine Pennington looked up from the screen of the laptop to look at the mammal entering the room. "Ah, Nick. The Chief told me you'd be stopping by."

"Hello, Trunks." After having spent several hours within the confines of the interrogation room's antechamber together, Pennington and Wilde had quickly found out they liked each other, and by the end of the day they had been on first-name-terms - or in Wilde's case, on nickname-terms.

The fox looked around. "Where's Clawhauser?"

Pennington sighed. "Ben is … indisposed."

"Oh. Is he ill?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"Just take a look for yourself. But be warned: this is not for the faint of heart!"

Wilde looked at the whiteboard which started showing the abandoned alleyway the lynx girl had been found in. "That bad?"

"You have no idea!" Pennington started the recording.

It didn't take long for the scene to unfold itself. And the longer it took, the more obvious was the look of abject horror on Wilde's face.

Seven mammals, all prey, were entering the frame, stalking a lynx girl. Wilde spotted two zebras, three antelopes, one pig, and one sheep. Each and every one of them was armed with a baseball bat. The pig was the first one to strike, delivering a hefty blow to one of the girl's legs. The lynx girl went down with a silent cry, and as if that was the initial spark, the other mammals joined in, starting to beat down on the girl. After one minute of rather feeble strikes, the hits increased in force, until the seven prey mammals pummeled on the girl without any shred of mercy whatsoever. The poor girl had no chance to defend herself, for whenever she tried to raise her arms or get out of the way, she was clobbered from a different direction, and with an ever increasing amount of force. The pig in particular was the epitome of savage cruelty. Every swing connected with massive force, cracking bones, opening wounds.

After about five more minutes of this atrocity, the lynx girl was hardly recognizable as such. She could just as well have been a bloodied, beaten-up gnu.

Or a pile of bloody rags for that matter.

But that was not what shocked Wilde the most.

"Oh my God, these are … _teenagers!_ "

"Nice, isn't it?" Pennington said deadpan.

Finally, after the lynx girl had been beaten into a pile of blood and broken bones, the pig pulled a pair of pliers out of the pocket of his trousers. Approaching the bloody mess, he then proceeded to pull the girl's teeth and claws out, slowly and methodically.

Wilde was suddenly very glad for the lack of sound - the girl's cries must have been absolutely heartrending.

"Sweet cheese and crackers!" he said soundlessly.

"So you've seen what Ramington's been hiding," he suddenly heard someone behind him say. He turned around to see Chief Bogo standing in the door. He had been so focused on the footage, he hadn't even heard the cape buffalo enter the room.

Probably for the first time in years, Wilde was at a complete loss for words. To him, words simply weren't enough to describe what he had just witnessed.

He had seen a lot of atrocities over the course of the years, but nothing could have prepared him for this display of pure, unadulterated savagery.

"And to think this was done by some prey boys," Bogo said. He turned to Pennington. "Any luck at identifying the mammals?"

"Not so far. Clawhauser tried it, but his stomach couldn't handle it."

"I understand. Most mammals won't be able to stomach something like this." He looked at Wilde who was staring at the screen again. The pig was just in the process of pulling the last claws out. "You okay?" Bogo asked. Wilde gave no reply.

"Aries is in custody?" Pennington asked.

"He is. He flatly denied any involvement, of course, but we have the means to prove every single one of our accusations." He sighed. "And another Mayor arrested. And I'm going to ask for arrest warrants for three more councilmammals. This is getting out of hoof!"

"You don't know half of it," Wilde said suddenly. His voice sounded strangely hollow.

"What do you mean?" Bogo said, turning towards Wilde.

Wilde walked over to the laptop, stopping the footage just as the pig's face was fully visible. "Chief, meet Edward Swinton."

"You know him?"

Wilde nodded. With grim features, he added: "He's the youngest son of our esteemed councilmammal, Tilda Swinton."

* * *

 **Ouch! I see another councilmammal toppling very soon …**

 **Yep, both councilmammal Cameron Caballus and his daughter Christine are my invention, which was sort of an accident. In my first draft, Caballus had no daughter, but then I realized I had assigned the name Caballus twice - once to the councilmammal mentioned in Chapter One, the one more interested in protecting his construction company than in doing his job as a councilmammal, and once to the horse working at reception. Upon finding out, I first thought of changing one of the names, but then it struck me that I could use this later. So here it is.**

 **Councilmammal Swinton was actually created by the guys at Disney. She was the Mayor of Zootopia in the infamous first draft concerned with collared predators and revolving around Nick needing to prove his innocence. The first name Tilda was created by Mead, one of the darn best graphic artists I've ever seen! His stories about Zootopia are simply awesome. Check out his Tumblr account. For starters, I suggest reading his superb story "Judy is Dead," which sounds awful, but is awesome! I simply borrowed the first name without asking for it. Please, Mead, if you read this, don't be too mad at me!**

 **So, the stage is set for the final pieces of this story. More to come soon - I'm on the final stretch, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (hoping it's not a freight train coming my way)!**

 **Thanks for reading, and please send me your reviews!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	9. Chapter Nine - Am I Evil?

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **The report of my death was an exaggeration. (Mark Twain)**

 **Welcome to the final arc of this story, subtitled: "How to Utterly Demolish a City Council." ;-)**

 **I know, I'm awfully late with this, but the last three months have been hell in a handbasket. My original plan was to take a few days off over the Christmas holidays. But then one thing came to another. The main issue I had to deal with was health problems (my back again), caused in no small part by a traffic accident which claimed the life of my trusty scooter. (Yes, Euphonemes, it's gone for good, sadly! The steering column was damaged beyond repair.) To get to work, I had to plunge into debts to replace it with a car, an eleven-year-old clunker with a whopping 79 bhp.**

 **So I'm basically broke right now, but that wasn't all, not by a long shot. My father, who just turned 85 a few weeks ago, spent about four weeks in hospital with a bout of pneumonia, Doesn't sound like a big deal, but after four minor strokes and one heart attack, on top of diabetes and high blood pressure, he's quite frail, so at some point I was certain the infection would kill him. Fortunately, he's way too stubborn to allow some stupid infection to do him in.**

 **My workload was humongous, the usual household chores beckoned, another choir concert will take place in a few weeks, so we have a lot of practice sessions - it all kept piling up.**

 **The few days off turned into a quarter of a year. A quarter of a year crazy enough for me to not be able to even touch my computer at all, so I wasn't even able to answer private messages.**

 **On the bright side, after 28 years of continuously ruining my health, I finally managed to stop smoking. Okay, that's not quite true, I started vaping a few weeks ago, using e-cigarettes, but it's way better than smoking the real deal. In case you're interested in starting to smoke, don't do it! Bad habit! (My wife hasn't touched even one cigarette in her entire life, and I sort of envy her for this …)**

 **Now, with everything and everyone up and running again and a head full of ideas how to finish this, nothing's gonna stop me now - I hope …**

 **I bow down in gratitude towards everyone who hasn't forgotten about me or this story. Special shouts go out to DSLeo, DrummerMax64, Darksonickiller, HawkTooth, Dirtkid123, Kenneth Walker, gistech, LupinTheWolf** **(aka Hpalex13), Story. Writer. 2015, hellion117, tweiler18, celtcath74, AlbineFox, Matri, Galaxyexplorer74, eng050599, Foxlover91, Robert Escher, Combat Engineer, Archangel12575, The Valeyard, an anonymous guest and a whole host of guys asking about my well-being. I'm fine, thank you very much. It's just that life wasn't exactly kind to me …**

 **And in case I answered a review two times, sorry, but at one point I had no idea anymore whose reviews I had answered already. Please don't hold it against me!**

 **A very special "Sorry!" to Euphonemes. I really wanted to continue proof-reading your story, but I simply had no time whatsoever! Mea culpa!**

 **The stats are quite irrelevant at this point, seeing as I haven't published anything for so long a time, but here they are: More than 6,800 views, 90 reviews, 50 favorites, and 81 alerts. Huge increases since the last chapter, obviously. Thanks for sticking with me through all this [expletive censored] that is my life.**

 **Unbeknownst to me, February 6, 2017 was a sensational day for me! Thanks to DrummerMax64, this was the day my first story, "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life," appeared on ZNN! I only learned about this three days ago! Never thought I'd see the day! Consider me to be forever in your debt, DrummerMax64! You've just officially become one of my favorite mammals on this planet!**

 **This chapter's motto song has a little story behind it. Several months ago, shortly after the last chapter was published, a user named tweiler18 asked me in a review whether I like rock music, seeing that the last chapters motto song was from Metallica. I confirmed this, referring him/her to my profile page. He/she then proceeded to ask me if I liked Skillet and Five Finger Death Punch. Well, I like Skillet alright, but I cannot say I'd ever even heard the other band's name. So I checked them out. And you should, too, because they're AWESOME! Over the course of the last weeks, I must have listened to at least thirty songs by 5FDP, and I liked each and every one of them, which is a first - every musician and band on this planet, no matter how much I like them, has produced at least a dozen songs I can't help disliking. tweiler18 had even pointed out a certain song to me, and after listening to it, it was clear to me that this had to be the next chapter's motto song. And through it, I also salute all those great human beings who gave us great music, only to leave us much too soon. Watch the song's video on YouTube (just enter "Five Finger Death Punch I Apologize"), and you know what made me write this. Thanks a lot, tweiler18, for sharing this with me! Guess I found a new favorite band, too!**

 **The chapter's title itself is taken from the song of the same name, written by Sean Harris and Brian Tatler, first published by Diamond Head in 1980, on their album "Lightning to the Nations," Happy Face Records, but popularized by Metallica, released on the B-side of their single "Creeping Death," published in 1984 by Elektra/Megaforce.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

 **Am I Evil?**

 _All these times I simply stepped aside. I watched but never really listened as the whole world passed me by._

Five Finger Death Punch: "I Apologize" (Written by Zoltan Bathory, Kevin Churko, Ivan L. Moody, Jason Hook, and Jeremy Spencer, from the album "Got Your Six - Deluxe Edition," Prospect Park, 2015)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Office of the Chief of Police, City Center, Zootopia**

With a crackle, the intercom came to life. "Chief Bogo?"

Bogo pressed the appropriate button. "What is it?"

"Excuse me, sir," Officer Caballus said haltingly, "but Sergeant Higgins has returned."

"With the suspect, I presume."

"Indeed."

"Which interrogation room?"

"One." She started saying something else, but stopped again, hesitating audibly.

Bogo rolled his eyes. "What is it, Officer?"

"Well, erm, Sergeant Higgins asked for a few minutes of your time, sir."

"Tell him to wait. The interrogation takes precedence."

"Er, well, he asked for a few minutes of your time _before_ the interrogation, sir."

"He did? Did he tell you why?"

"Uhm, yes, he did, but I think he should tell you himself."

Bogo made a frown. "Where is he?"

"He's waiting down here with me."

"I'm on my way."

It took Bogo less than a minute to reach the receptionist's desk. Higgins was standing in front of it, an unusually grave expression on his face. Without preamble, Bogo said: "Spill it, Higgins!"

Higgins straightened himself. "Sir, during the arrest, several things happened that you should know before you go down there."

"Did you face any problems?"

"No, sir, none at all. Young Mr. Swinton didn't try to resist arrest. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, one of the tables in the classroom I found him in was empty, being converted into some sort of shrine."

Bogo inhaled with a hiss. "Don't tell me she was his classmate."

"She was. And that's not all. You know my eyesight's not the best to begin with, but I could swear that among the other children, there were two zebras, three antelopes, and one sheep. And I guess, if we compare the footage with their faces …"

Bogo narrowed his gaze. "Are you trying to tell me that they ganged up to kill their own classmate?" His voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it held all the menace in the world.

Despite knowing that the Chief's fury wasn't directed at him, Higgins flinched, probably involuntarily. "It certainly seems that way, sir."

Bogo involuntarily clenched his hooves. "Anything else?"

"Yes. I tried to keep the arrest low-key, as per your orders. I asked Mr. Swinton to simply follow me outside, so his classmates wouldn't be forced to hear the whole gruesome story. However, he had no qualms to admit to killing Ms. Pardinus, or, as he called her, the 'filthy pred.' His words, not mine."

"He admitted to it?"

"He did."

"In front of witnesses?"

"In front of his whole class, yes. His teacher, one Mr. Tantor, told me that he was willing to give a witness statement."

"You have his phone number and address?"

"Of course."

"Call him. Let him give that statement. Might save us a lot of trouble." Bogo turned towards Caballus, who had followed their exchange with all signs of anxiety. "Call Major Mastiff, tell him …"

"He's already down there," Higgins interrupted him quietly. "He was waiting for my return here and took the boy to the interrogation room at once."

Bogo nodded. "Carry on!" He turned on his heel and stormed towards the set of stairs leading to the basement. He was walking fast, with purpose. To the casual observer, he looked ever bit like a hurricane, threatening to unleash hell and havoc on the unfortunate mammal in his path of utter destruction.

Upon reaching the interrogation room's antechamber, the door to the interrogation room proper opened, and Mastiff emerged, together with Officer Pennington. Bogo looked at them with a frown. Even at the best of times, Mastiff's scarred face was difficult to read, so Bogo had gotten used to not being able to tell what he was thinking. Now, however, his facial expression left no room for any misconception:

Adimar Mastiff was shocked beyond all measure.

And Pennington looked, if indeed such a thing was possible, even worse.

"Well?" Bogo asked, looking at Mastiff. "Having difficulty getting him to talk?"

Mastiff seemed to ignore him. Looking at Pennington, he said in a rather faint voice: "Did this really happen, Francine? I didn't, by any chance, mishear something?"

Pennington shook her head so violently that her trunk started swinging, narrowly missing the much smaller Mastiff. "I'm afraid you heard it quite well, Adimar. I heard it, too."

"What's wrong?" Bogo demanded to know. "Does he talk?"

Mastiff took a deep breath. "He does. Oh yes, he does!"

"Did he give a statement? Without a lawyer? There is no lawyer here yet, right?"

"Right on all accounts, Adrian."

"He gave a statement without …"

Adimar raised his paw, silencing his superior. "Believe me, I tried to Mirandize him no less than three times. It seems like he doesn't care."

"You have a confession?"

Mastiff snorted. "Not only did he give a full confession, he literally made a boast of the murder. He told me, and I quote: 'The stinking pred simply got what she deserved.' And he even had the nerve to add: 'You're next.'"

Bogo's eyes narrowed. No wonder Mastiff was looking so shocked. Having been told by an adolescent that he was the next in line to be killed, that would have shocked even the most hardened, most experienced veterans. Not out of fear, simply out of incredulity. "He did really say this?"

"He did. And before you ask, we recorded all of this. Plus Francine was present, as was Brian McHorn. He's currently standing guard over the boy."

"Let me get this straight. Higgins arrested him and brought him here, you started telling him his rights, he began a confession without waiting for legal counsel, he admitted to the crime and added more crimes to his name. Correct so far?"

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Mastiff took a deep breath. "And what do we do now?"

Pennington piped in: "Just how deep does this conspiracy run? Fleecewood mentioned three more councilmammals. Is this really all of them? Or are there more culprits we don't know about?"

For a few seconds, Bogo was at a loss for words. With a visible effort, he finally said: "Do you think that, if there still are mammals connected to the conspiracy that we haven't been able to find yet, that he's one of them? Or at least knows enough about it to say stuff like that?"

Pennington shook her head at once, while Mastiff considered the question for a moment. The wolf finally said: "I don't think so. Would you really entrust a 15-year-old kid with knowledge of something very illegal?"

Bogo sucked in a sharp breath. "He's just _15_?"

"He turned 15 little more than a month ago."

Pennington said: "I guess he's still full of that 'predators are dangerous' crap. The stuff he says, it sounds just like the baloney all those anti-pred idiots were spouting up until a few days ago."

Mastiff nodded. "Makes sense. If he's into that stuff, threatening me is little more than consequential."

Bogo eyed Mastiff sharply. "What do you think? Does he really believe in what he says?"

"Difficult to say. When I was 15, my head was still up in the clouds. My knowledge of the world at large, especially its inner workings, was negligible at best."

"In other words, we must ask ourselves where his, ahem, 'knowledge' comes from." Bogo thought he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear confirmation nonetheless.

"Oh, that's easy," Pennington said. "Probably his mother. She's always been a staunch supporter of Bellwether. Nick, ehm, Mr. Wilde told me earlier that they played tennis together."

Bogo nodded. "That's what I thought. Do you think it would be better to leave the boy be and concentrate on his dear mother?"

"It certainly won't do any harm to ask her about it," Mastiff said.

Bogo turned towards Pennington. "Officer, please go up to Clawhau… to Caballus and tell her to give Councilmammal Swinton a call."

"Of course." Pennington turned and left.

"She's the Acting Mayor now," Mastiff said silently while watching Pennington leave.

Bogo groaned. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"I'm not, believe me. She was the fourth in line after Lionheart, Bellwether, and Aries."

"Great! Who's next? Hopps was so right, we do run through those Mayors at an alarming rate."

"Not our fault, Adrian. And to answer your question, with both Pardalis and Murinus being forced out of office, the next in line seems to be Cameron Caballus."

"Caballus? The father of Officer Caballus?" Bogo snorted. "Fantastic!"

Mastiff made a frown. "What's wrong with him?"

"A few days ago, after we arrested Bellwether, I was discussing a possible successor for her with Wilde. He told me that all Caballus was interested in was protecting his construction company." Upon seeing the surprise on Mastiff's face, he quickly added: "Given the fact that Wilde seems to be most knowledgeable when it comes to other mammals, and councilmammals in particular, I tend to believe him."

"That's … not good."

Bogo gave a sigh. "At least Caballus isn't likely to put more spokes into our wheels."

"Are you sure?"

"That's what his daughter told me. He was voting against the motion of upholding the suspensions of our predator officers, but was outvoted."

Suddenly, Mastiff gave his famous, lopsided grin. "Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves a little here? Swinton's still in office."

"You don't think she'll abdicate?"

The grin vanished. "No idea. She's done nothing wrong, strictly speaking. Her son's the culprit, not her. I guess it depends on her willingness to take responsibility, and I'm afraid I don't know her well enough to really be able to tell what she might do."

"Wasn't she playing tennis in her youth?"

"Oh, yes, she was. She's still the only mammal on this planet who won the Golden Slam, the four major tennis tournaments plus the gold medal at the Zoolympic Games, in one year. And after her career, she used her popularity to become a politician." Mastiff gave a pause. "My wife's a huge fan of hers."

"Ah. Are you?"

Mastiff chuckled. "You know what Ayrton Hyenna said, Adrian? 'I have no idols. I admire work, dedication, and competence.'"

Bogo snorted. "After I became Chief, I suddenly found myself in the company of the high and mighty. All those banquets and balls - I must have shaken the hooves and paws of virtually every celebrity Zootopia has to offer. You know what I found out? It simply makes no sense to have idols. Get to know some of those mammals worshipped by others as their idols, and you learn pretty quickly that they're not the kind of guys you want to have as role models."

"Is it really that …" Mastiff made a frown and looked past Bogo.

Bogo turned around to look in the same direction, towards the staircase. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming. Sounds like small hooves."

Bogo did hear nothing, but that was hardly surprising. The sensory equipment of wolves was vastly superior to that of a cape buffalo. "Small hooves?"

"Yes. Much smaller than yours, and in quite a hurry at that. If I might haphazard a guess here, it seems our dear Acting Mayor got here before Francine could call her."

A few seconds later, Mastiff's assessment was proven to be accurate, when a female pig wearing an elegant pants suit came down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, an impressive feat for the rather small mammal. Despite the fact that Swinton's career as a professional tennis player had ended some twenty years ago, her build was still slim and athletic, and there was a spring in her step which probably was the envy of mammals much younger than her. Her face, however, was all but pleasant to the eye. Not because she was ugly - Bogo had to admit to himself that Tilda Swinton was quite an attractive woman, for a sow -, but because she had schooled her facial features into a rather ugly scowl.

"Chief Bogo!" Her voice was the equivalent of her facial expression, harsh and incisive. "I received a phone call from my son's high school. His homeroom teacher told me he was arrested, but he didn't tell me why. Care to explain?"

Looking down at her, Bogo took a deep breath, bracing himself for the inevitable. Of all the different aspects of his job, talking to the relatives of criminals, most of whom had been completely unaware of the perpetrated crimes, was probably his least favorite part. Yet it had to be done. "Yes, Mrs. Swinton, your son was arrested, because we have reason to believe that he has committed a capital offense."

"Which is?"

"Murder."

"Murder?!" Swinton sounded absolutely flabbergasted. "You cannot possibly be serious, Bogo! My son's no murderer!"

Bogo wanted to reply to that, but Mastiff beat him to it. Without looking at her, and with a strangely strained voice, he said: "Sorry, ma'am, but he is. We caught the crime on camera, and your son even admitted to the murder."

"What?"

Finally, Mastiff looked up, locking eyes with Swinton. "Your son is responsible for the death of a young lynx girl, whether you like it or not."

Bogo felt a peculiar chill creeping up his back. He had known Adimar Mastiff for decades, but he had rarely seen him in a mood like this. Whatever had happened during the interrogation of young Edward Swinton, it had shaken the old wolf to the core, and it showed in his mannerism. The humble, benevolent, funny, nice, old "Uncle Massie," as several of their older colleagues affectionately called him, had taken a step back. The mammal standing in front of Swinton now, it was a mammal Bogo hadn't gotten to see in more than ten years.

Mastiff was seriously angry.

And a seriously angry Mastiff was always a threat, and a huge threat at that.

Bogo just hoped for the sake of Swinton that she was able to see it, too.

"You must be mistaken," Swinton said in a tone of superior disdain.

She obviously wasn't.

"We are not mistaken," Mastiff said. His voice still was supremely calm, the remainder of him was all but calm. Bogo noted with dismay that Mastiff's paws had started shaking at some point. "Seven different officers saw the footage. Your son has been identified with certainty by a civilian, an informant who knows Zootopia and its main citizens like the back of his paw. And like I said before, your son admitted to the crime."

Swinton snorted. "What is this? A smear campaign to paint my name black? Do you …"

That was as far as she got.

With surprising swiftness, given his age, Mastiff grabbed Swinton by both arms, lifting her effortlessly and slamming her against the wall. Swinton gasped, partly because the impact had forced the air out of her lungs, partly because she found herself eye to eye with a wolf.

With a wolf who was almost apoplectic with rage.

"Now listen to me, Swinton, and listen closely." He spoke slowly, as if pressing out each word between his teeth. "Your son is a murderer. He decided to end the existence of another mammal, a young lynx girl who, as far as we know, would never have harmed a fly. He chose to kill her, just because she was a predator, or, as he put it, a 'no-good, stinkin', filthy pred.' She's gone! She's dead! It's over!"

He made a pause, opening his jaws wide, exposing his impressive fangs.

And then he screamed.

"AND ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS YOUR CAREER?"

Bogo placed his hoof on Mastiff's shoulder, in an attempt to calm his friend down. "Adimar, please, this isn't helping!"

Mastiff ignored him. "I'm really interested in learning whom he got the idea from. Why does your son believe that predators are only good for being killed? He had the audacity to threaten ME, of all mammals! In the presence of other officers who can testify!"

He let go of Swinton, and she fell to the ground, easily managing to break her fall. Staring up at him with a look of utter disbelief, her mouth opened and closed several times, but no words were forthcoming.

"Did you tell him?" Mastiff asked. Bogo noticed with relief that the worst of his anger seemed to have ebbed away. "Did you tell him that predators are no good? Was it you who gave him the idea that killing predators for fun is a great pastime?"

"I … I never …" Swinton was at a visible loss for words.

"You didn't? Then who did? Didn't you care about your son's education and upbringing enough to prevent something like this?"

Bogo looked at Mastiff with a frown. During his long career, he had met thousands of criminals or relatives of criminals, and given the fact that Mastiff had joined the force ten years before Bogo had, his numbers certainly put Bogo's to shame. He had seen Mastiff arrest the most hardened of criminals without slowing down in his stride.

Yes, what the teenagers had done to the lynx girl was despicable, an abomination. Yet, as a crime, it was commonplace, a simple and clear-cut murder case out of base motives. Bogo had seen countless similar cases over the course of the years. It certainly was the same with Mastiff.

Why was he reacting this strongly over such an ordinary murder case?

He couldn't help shake the feeling that there was more to this story than what met the eye.

Swinton looked up at Mastiff, taking a deep breath. "Where is he? May I see him?"

Bogo shook his head. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but that is out of the …"

Mastiff interrupted him rudely. "Certainly, Mrs. Swinton. Please follow me."

Bogo stared at Mastiff. "What did you just say?"

"I said that she is welcome to visit her son any time she wants." He looked up, no, he glared at Bogo, as if daring him to contradict him.

"This is against regulation!"

Mastiff's voice betrayed his fury, but his words were very matter-of-factly: "You can lecture me on regulations all you like, Chief. I'm saying that she needs to see her son, and I honestly don't give a damn if regulations tell me it's not okay, _sir_." He put extra emphasize on the last word.

Bogo looked up at Swinton. "Would you please excuse us for a second?" Swinton nodded, and Bogo grabbed Mastiff by his arm and pulled him towards a corner in the corridor, not too gently.

Once they were out of earshot, he turned Mastiff towards himself. "Okay, Adimar, you wanna fill me in? What's going on? Why are you behaving like a lunatic?"

Mastiff took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "Sorry if I've been raining on your parade, but you haven't been in there. You haven't heard that this boy doesn't listen to reason. You haven't heard that he seems to think that murdering another mammal is perfectly fine, as long as the mammal in question is a predator. It's as if he's trapped in his own little world, completely oblivious to the damage he caused. We need to get him out of there, and fast! He needs to tell us what really happened. He needs to give us a lot of names. There are six more murderers on the loose, and we need to catch them, and fast! If they're all as delusional as he is, we have a serious problem on our hooves, paws, whatever. Yes, I know that Higgins believes they're in his class, but we need more than the suspicions of a hippo with bad eyesight. He hasn't cooperated with us at all so far, taking all the blame himself, implying that it was him, and him alone, who killed the girl. We know it isn't true, but we need the names of his accomplices. We can't arrest them otherwise. Every judge would read us the riot act, if we arrest some youngsters because of some suspicions we have."

He said all of this very fast.

Bogo looked down at him with surprise. The fury that Mastiff had shown only seconds earlier had evaporated completely. He looked calm and composed, as usual. Something clicked within him. "Are you trying to tell me that this was just a ruse?"

Mastiff gave him a lopsided grin. "Took you long enough to recognize it as such."

Bogo groaned. "No wonder I've never been able to beat you at poker."

"That's because you're so easy to manipulate, Adrian." Mastiff reached up and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "And we all love you for it."

Bogo allowed himself a small grin. "I seem to be surrounded by tricksters. First Wilde, now you …"

"You'd be well-advised to take a leaf out of Wilde's book every now and then. Being nice and predictable, always following the rules, will only get you so far."

"So it would seem. You think his mother will be able to get though to him?"

"I'm counting on it. He seems to think that his mother, the fact that she's a councilmammal, will protect him from any sort of prosecution. At least that's what I gather from the things he said."

"Just how delusional is this boy?"

"You have no idea."

Bogo nodded. "Very well, we'll do this your way." He held up his hoof.

Mastiff gave him a paw-bump immediately. "Just like old times, AJ."

"Just like old times."

They returned to Swinton. Bogo folded his arms while looking down at her. "Alright, I've had my mind changed for me. Please follow us, Mrs. Swinton." Without further ado, he turned towards the interrogation room and opened the door. Waiting in the doorframe, he allowed both Swinton and Mastiff to enter the room before entering it himself.

The scene which presented itself to him was deceptively innocuous. Innocuous, because a young pig was sitting at the table, obviously playing a game on his smartphone that nobody seemed to have confiscated. Deceptive, because there was no mistaking the righteous fury emanating from the mammal standing guard over him. Brian McHorn looked more than willing to gore him with his massive horn. It seemed like some of the things the young pig had said to the rhino didn't sit too well with the latter.

Bogo looked at McHorn. Best to remove him from the room now. "Officer, would you please leave us for the moment? Please wait outside until I call you again."

"Yes, sir!" McHorn left the room like a mammal on a warpath.

The young pig didn't even lift his gaze from the smartphone. It was obvious that Edward Swinton wasn't the least bit interested in the mammals who had just entered the room. It was only after his mother cleared her throat that he finally looked up. "Mom! Finally! Can you tell these officers that …"

He broke off when looking at her, taking in her posture, her facial expression. His own face fell. "Mom?" In an instant, all the confidence he had displayed vanished completely.

Bogo couldn't blame him. If Swinton had been his mother, he would have peed his pants.

Swinton simply stared at her son without saying anything, without moving a muscle. Her posture radiated fury, disgust, disappointment.

"Mom?" Edward asked again.

"Is it true, Edward?" she finally said with a surprisingly calm voice.

"What?"

"Is it true what these officers tell me? Did you really murder another mammal?" Her tone was still calm, but Bogo noticed a tiny edge creeping into her voice.

Edward shrugged and looked down at his smartphone again. "What if I did?"

Bogo looked down at Swinton, trying to gauge her reaction.

And then she wasn't there anymore.

It all happened in less than two seconds. Three quick steps, the sound of a smartphone disintegrating against a wall, and a sudden yelp of pain.

Edward looked at his mother with a look of incredulity, his own hoof against his cheek. She had obviously delivered a slap to his face so fierce, it had cut his skin. Blood was oozing down his face, dripping onto the collar of his shirt. "Mom!" he exclaimed.

She stood in front of him, arms akimbo, staring at him with a look of utter disdain. "Please tell me this isn't true! Edward, please!"

Edward's short and sparse hair wasn't able to hide his shock; he blanched visibly. Whatever reaction he had expected, this one hadn't been among them.

And then, suddenly, his anger flared. "So what? Karen's just a no-good, filthy …"

Swinton gasped, interrupting him. "Karen? Karen Pardinus?"

"Uh, yeah."

" _You_ are the guy who killed the daughter of Wesley Pardinus?"

Edward folded his arms. "What if I did?"

Swinton turned away, looking down on the ground. A few seconds later, Bogo was surprised to hear her start to snivel. "Why? Why, Edward? Why did you kill her?"

Edward starred at her, obviously flabbergasted. "What do you mean? Wasn't that what you and the other councilmammals used to say in the last few weeks? Predators are dangerous? Predators need to be removed from Zootopia? Well, we removed Karen, and so …"

Swinton whirled around. "YOU REMOVED HER?" she shrieked. "You KILLED her! You are a MURDERER." She made a pause, and all strength seemed to leave her. "I am the mother of a murderer!"

"Hey, it was just a filthy predator!"

Without another word, Swinton walked towards the door.

"Hey, Mom," Edward shouted. "Don't leave me hanging here! Get me …"

She whirled around, eyeing her son with a look of contempt on her face. "Do you really think I can fix this?"

Edward flinched. "But …"

"And even if I could, do you really think I would _want_ to fix this?"

"But … I'm your son!"

Swinton turned around again. "I have no son. Not anymore." She left the room, leaving her son, and both policemammals, absolutely stunned.

"You stay here," Bogo said to Mastiff.

"Gladly," Mastiff countered and walked over to the table.

Leaving the interrogation room, Bogo found Swinton sitting on the floor, slumped against a wall. Tears were running down her face, ruining her make-up. McHorn was standing next to her, and it was obvious that he had no idea how to deal with the situation. Following a quick gesture by Bogo, he returned into the interrogation room while Bogo knelt down beside Swinton. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

"No. And I never will be again." Her voice sounded just as miserable as her countenance suggested. "It's my fault, and mine alone!"

"It was his decision."

"You don't understand. Deep down inside, I knew Bellwether was a lunatic, but I supported her. Still did, even after you arrested her." She looked at the door behind which her son was sitting. "He obviously thought he'd help me. He killed my own goddaughter to help me."

Bogo inhaled sharply. "Your goddaughter?"

She nodded. "Wesley was one of my mixed double partners, back in the days. We won several tournaments together. He named me his daughter's godmother." She shook her head. "My own son took the life of the daughter of one of my oldest friends."

"You played together with a predator?"

"I did, several in fact. I never had a problem with predators. But Bellwether told everyone that predators were a threat, and for a while, I believed her, going against my own convictions."

"You weren't the only one she hoodwinked. She had played me for a sucker, too."

"It's my own fault. It's my fault that Karen's dead."

"You didn't kill her."

"I might as well." Swinton placed her head against the wall. "He grew up so quickly! I was always away from home, even after the end of my career, playing senior tournaments, touring for sponsors, doing charity work. I was never there. Whenever I came back home, he had always grown by so much." She sighed. "And then I ran for office. I was walking from door to door, trying to get the votes, trying to become a councilmammal. Again, I was never home. And now my son's almost a grown-up, and I don't recognize him anymore."

She got up with surprising swiftness, lunging into her purse to produce a cell phone. Punching a button, she waited for a few seconds before saying: "Sammy, it's me, Tilda. Listen, my son was arrested. Could you please come to Precinct One at once? You need to defend him." She waited for a reply. "The charges? He's a murderer." Another pause. "Yes, a murderer. He killed a young lynx girl, and he obviously did it in cold blood." Yet another pause. "I don't care. The case seems to be waterproof, and as far as I'm concerned, Edward can rot in prison. What he has done, it's unforgivable." She listened again. "That goes without saying. Just do your job. Thanks. I owe you one." She ended the call. "My lawyer's on his way here. I trust you to do what's necessary, Chief."

Bogo nodded gravely. "I will."

Swinton closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "What, exactly, has happened? I'm going to meet Wesley in two days, at Karen's funeral. I need to go there, I can't go into hiding. I need to know what happened."

"You knew about her death?"

"Of course! Wesley told me himself, seeing that I am - _was_ \- her godmother. I just didn't know that she had died because my own flesh and blood had decided to end her existence. And Wesley doesn't know either. I guess I need to tell him personally, before he learns it by reading tomorrow's newspaper." She shuddered. "I have no idea what to tell him."

Boge gave her a quick summary of the contents of the surveillance footage. "From the looks of it, it seems that your son was the ringleader of the little gang. He was the first to strike. He was the one with the pliers. The other mammals involved looked like they were acting under his command."

Swinton nodded, closing her eyes again. "Very astute observation, Chief. Those would be the Black Seven, I presume."

"The Black Seven?"

Swinton shrugged. "A bunch of kids Edward met in Elementary School. They've been together ever since. In most cases, they're so close, you can't separate them with a stick. At one point, they started referring to themselves only as the Black Seven, and somehow the name stuck. I know each and every one of them personally. They've been over at our house countless times. I'm on friendly terms with all their parents."

"Could you give us their names?"

"Certainly." She took her cell phone out of her purse again. "I'm going to send you a SMS containing the names, okay? What's your phone number?"

Bogo told her his cell phone number while she was typing on her phone with frantic speed. Little more than one minute later, he received the promised SMS. Bogo read the names and nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Mrs. Swinton."

She shrugged while turning towards the staircase. "Least I could do."

"What are you going to do now?"

Swinton stopped and looked over her shoulder. "What do you think?" With that, she climbed the stairs.

Bogo looked down at the list of names again. None of the names did ring a bell, but that wasn't saying much. It was some sort of relief for him that none of the mammals seemed to be connected to any other councilmammals.

The City Council's shape already was bad enough as it was.

The door behind Bogo opened, and he turned around to see Mastiff emerge, a look of grim satisfaction on his features. "Did he talk?" Bogo asked.

"We have the names," Mastiff said.

Bogo held up his phone, presenting the list to him. "Are these the ones he's given?"

Mastiff squinted his one remaining eye while looking at the phone. "Did she tell you?"

Bogo nodded. "He formed a small gang years ago. Swinton called them the Black Seven. Sounds like the typical bunch of rambunctious kids ganging up to molest the weak and the feeble. She knows all of them since they went to Elementary School together."

Mastiff looked over his shoulder at the door. "Quite the reaction she showed in there."

Bogo sighed. "How would you react if your own son told you he killed the child of one of your best friends?"

Mastiff's head whipped around again. "Say again!"

"Wesley Pardinus, Karen's father, was one of her tennis partners years ago. Swinton was Karen's godmother."

"Sweet mother of mercy!"

* * *

 **Austin J. Robin Plaza, In Front of City Hall, City Center, Zootopia**

Tensions between prey and predators may have vanished almost completely, but the wounds caused by the civil unrest would still take months, if not years, to fully heal. Zootopia was still in wild disarray. This was not helped by the fact that for the last three days, the City Council had seemed to be unable to come to any decision which could help restore order within the metropolis. The only decision the councilmammals had made had been the outright refusal to rescind any new laws set in motion by Bellwether which had done nothing but oppress predators. Needless to say, this only decision hadn't sat too well with the predators living in Zootopia. And now that another one of the councilmammals, the Acting Mayor even, had been revealed as having been in cahoots with Bellwether and responsible for atrocious attacks on predators, the complete chaos around the City Council was obvious to everyone in Zootopia, prey and predator alike. And most mammals hated the City Council for this, prey and predator alike.

Three arrested Mayors. Three more councilmammals under close investigation by the ZPD.

It was easy to come to the conclusion that the City Council was in an even worse shape than the city itself.

And in no place this could have been more evident than on the plaza in front of City Hall.

The place was filled completely to capacity. Thousands of mammals were standing around, sitting on the floor or in folding chairs they had brought for the occasion. Nick Wilde spotted a few prey mammals, but the vast majority consisted of predators. And every species living in Zootopia seemed to be present. Nick saw countless felines, countless wolves, countless smaller predators, but he also saw an eclectic assortment of elephants, rhinos, hippos, buffaloes, rabbits, antelopes, mice, gerbils, squirrels …

Never before had Zootopia seen such a display of unity across the species.

Because all these mammals wanted was peace.

" _All we are saying is give peace a chance!_ "

Nick had no idea who had started singing the song, but it had spread, and now most mammals around him were joining in, singing the verse over and over again.

And indeed, peace seemed to be all around him.

For the first time in years, Nick felt completely safe. Nobody, neither prey nor predator, had looked at him in the usual, dismissive way, disregarding him as a sneaky, untrustworthy mammal. To the contrary - he had been hugged by complete strangers, some had offered him tea from a thermos, and when one rather enthusiastic ocelot indentified him as the guy responsible for solving the Savage Predators case, the mammals in his vicinity felt obliged to thank him in person. Probably for the first time in his entire life, Nick felt respected, even liked.

 _I could get used to this_ , he thought.

Strangely, however, the feeling of peace and quiet around him wasn't really reaching him. As a matter of fact, he had rarely felt less at peace with himself and the world as he did at that precise moment.

In almost all other situations, the con-mammal he was would have been able to hide his discomfort from the world with ease. There was, however, one mammal he would never have been able to fool.

"What's eating at ya, whelp?" Finnick asked.

Nick looked down at Finnick and sighed. There were a lot of things bothering him right now, and most of them revolved around the tiny fennec fox.

Without Finnick, Nick would never have survived.

With unbelievable naivety, Nick had left his home, left his mother, fully convinced that with his blossoming hustling skills, becoming a most successful hustler would be piece of cake.

Only to find out, in the hardest way imaginable, that surviving as a hustler on the streets of Zootopia was a whole different ball game. His scams at school, cheating young mammals, gullible kits and cubs, that was child's play, literally. However, his rather simple attempts at hustling, while highly effective against children, completely failed to deliver against adults.

After four weeks of numerous attempts at hustling, with his earnings dwindling fast, he was facing the very possible prospect of dying from starvation.

Which was when Finnick found him by accident, hungry beyond belief, soaking wet from constant rain, freezing, utterly miserable. He took him in, gave him shelter, a bed, crust of bread and a job of sorts. They'd been together ever since, they'd worked together ever since, and they'd become as close as brothers.

Nick closed his eyes and sighed. The moment he deprived himself of any visual input, the images he'd seen when watching the video footage of the attack on the lynx occupied his thoughts completely. "Just this morning, I've seen something I'd rather forget, Fin."

He opened his eyes and looked down at his diminutive partner. Contrary to his usual approach to things, Finnick was clad in casual clothing, not his usual romper suit they used when hustling mammals. Not that he hadn't wanted to exploit the incredible daftness of most mammals around him - it was just that he had known with certainty that Nick wouldn't want to be involved in stuff like that right now.

There was a certain rift between the two friends, a rift that nothing would be able to fix.

Finnick was a hustler and would, in all probability, always be.

Nick was on his way to become a fine upstanding citizen. He had applied for the ZPA, and although he still had his doubts about a possible admission, he might even become a cop.

They might at one point even become enemies.

How do you fix stuff like that?

Finnick gave a small chuckle. "The mighty Nick Wilde, shaking by something he's seen? Musta been a hell of a picture."

Nick shook his head. "Not a picture, video footage. Footage showing a band of teenage prey mammals clubbing a young lynx to death."

Finnick's smile vanished in an instant. " _What?_ "

"You heard me. An unprovoked attack, just like the one those idiots from Aries Security performed on the two of us."

Finnick was visibly aghast. " _Teenagers?_ "

"Yup. They pummeled the poor girl with baseball bats, and when she was barely even recognizable as a mammal, one of the culprits proceeded to pull her teeth and claws out while she was still conscious." Nick sighed again. "She died yesterday. And given the fact that she was maimed beyond all recognition, that might even be a blessing."

Finnick opened and closed his mouth without saying anything. Finally, after almost one minute of silence, he asked: "Does the fuzz know who did it?" There was a distinct growl in his voice, a growl betraying his enormous fury.

"They do, at least they know one of them."

"Who is it?" Finnick's paw opened and closed, seemingly on its own account. He was probably longing for his baseball bat.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to invoke mob law?"

"The thought had crossed ma mind," Finnick hissed.

Nick forced his features into a smile. "Relax, Finnick. Let the cops do their jobs."

Finnick gave a snort. "Ah, I forgot you're all chummy with the fuzz now."

Nick looked down at his friend, not knowing what to say.

"It's true, what the bunny said? You goin' to the police academy?" Finnick asked.

"Well, yes, I have applied, but as far as the question of going there is concerned …"

Finnick liked at him with a frown. "What d'ya mean?"

"I mean the cops know my past as a hustler. Their chief showed me a file this big," Nick indicated a sizable gap with two digits, "containing a rather thorough account of most of my accomplishments."

"So what? They could pardon you."

"They certainly could, and the guys at the academy themselves won't cause much of a problem. The problem is, every police officer is appointed by the City Council, and do you really think out current administration is likely to grant pardon to a hustler, a fox even? I seriously doubt it."

"Come on! You're a fuckin' hero, you're everybody's darlin'!"

"Some might disagree, and you know …"

Suddenly he heard someone call out his name. A female voice.

Finnick had heard it, too - his head was turning in all directions. "Uh oh!"

Nick had spotted a rather peculiar-looking mammal, a few yards to his left. It probably was the tallest rabbit he'd ever seen. The buck's fur was a light brown, with no particular distinguishing features, apart from his height. He looked not even remotely related to the only other bunny he knew.

But it was the very same other rabbit that he was pushing around in a wheelchair.

"Nick!" Judy Hopps beamed at the fox. She was sitting in a comically large wheelchair, her bandaged leg prone on the adjustable paw rest.

Nick gave her a grin. "Carrots! How nice of you to stop by!"

"And Finnick, too! Hello!"

Finnick looked at her as if he'd seen a ghost. "Hello, Officer Toot-Toot." He looked up at Nick. "Nicky, I gotta go. See ya!" Without any further comment, the fennec fox turned around and vanished in the crowd.

Nick looked after his friend with a frown. It was quite normal for Finnick to prefer being on his own over mixing with other mammals, but this was taking things to the extreme. It was quite obvious that he didn't like Judy all that much - probably because she was a cop. Probably because she was the cop who'd convinced Nick to apply for the ZPA.

It suddenly occurred to Nick that this might very well have been the last time he'd seen his old friend.

Especially if, by some freak turn of events, he would really end up being a cop.

Turning around again, Nick saw Judy look up at the buck pushing her around. "Billy, this is Nick Wilde, the fox who helped me solve those cases."

The buck grinned. "You don't say." He offered his paw for Nick to shake. "William Hopps, although everybody calls me Billy. Judy's one of my countless sisters."

Nick returned the pawshake, trying his hardest not to wince. His paw felt like it had accidentally caught in a door. "Ah. I hope you don't hold it against me, but I would never have guessed that you're related."

Billy shrugged. "I'm taking after our father, she," he pointed down at Judy, "takes after our mother."

Nick had to look up at the buck. He was easily four inches taller than him and of sturdy build. "Your father must be quite tall, I presume."

Billy chuckled. "He's about as tall as Judy."

"Really?"

Billy gave him a smirk. "Yup. It's me who's the freak of nature."

"Come on!" Judy said. "You're not a freak!"

"No, but most mammals look at me like I am."

"You wanna talk about this?" Nick asked.

Billy shrugged. "You know, I don't mind being asked about my height. Beats being looked at like I _am_ a freak of nature. How good's your knowledge of biology?"

"Pretty lackluster, I'd say."

"Okay. You know there's a certain growth hormone which governs how tall and big a mammal becomes when growing up." Nick nodded. "This hormone, called somatotropin, is produced by the pituitary gland. When a mammal reaches the height predetermined in his or her genes, when the growth plates have all closed, the pituitary gland stops producing somatotropin. With me so far?"

"Of course."

"Now, this works just fine in most mammals. However, there is a kind of tumor which, in some rare cases, develops in the pituitary gland. It prevents the gland from stopping to put out somatotropin, so the body is flooded with it well past the point where it's good for the body. Bottom line is, if you have the tumor, you simply don't stop growing. In all directions, mind. You become taller, you become wider." He smiled, showing his buck teeth. There was a small, but noticeable gap between both teeth. "The jaw, for example, gets wider and wider, so at one point you develop huge gaps between the teeth."

"That sounds … awful."

Billy shrugged. "It is, when untreated. If you don't treat this in any way, shape, or form, it will eventually kill you. Treatment, however, is fairly simple. You remove the tumor through surgery, and that's it. In my case, the tumor was removed when I was 17, seven years ago. Haven't grown one inch since then, but," he spread his arms, "as you can see, the damage's already been done."

Now that Nick knew what to look for, the signs of abnormal growth were instantly recognizable. Billy's paws were enormous, his chin was much wider than usual, and his whole body just seemed to be impossibly big - for a rabbit, that is. "Interesting. Never heard of stuff like that."

"That's the problem. Most mammals have no idea about interesting stuff like that."

Judy rolled her eyes. "It may be interesting to you. To me, it's boring."

"Yes, Ms.-I-know-every-law-in-the-book."

Nick had to grin at that. Seemed like Billy had a very special relationship with Judy. "She does?"

Billy gave a groan. "You have no idea."

"Har har," Judy said. "Better than knowing the Pschyrambel inside and out."

"Excuse me, the what?" Nick asked.

"The Pschyrambel. It's a clinical dictionary, named after its first editor, Willibald Pschyrambel."

"Never heard of it either. You're a doctor?" Nick asked Billy.

"No, and I'm not interested in becoming one. My field of work is biochemistry."

"And if you don't stop talking to him about this right now," Judy said, "he's going to chew your ears off."

Billy stuck out his tongue. "You're such a wet blanket, Jude!" Looking at Nick, he added: "Are you interested in biochemistry?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"What a pity." Billy made a pause. "So, you're gonna join Judy at the ZPD?"

Nick shrugged. "That's the plan, yes, but there still are several obstacles in my way."

"Such as?"

Nick pointed at City Hall. "Unless the City Council or someone of equal importance grants me a pardon, I doubt I'll make it into the police academy."

Billy made a frown. "A pardon? For what?"

"Well, let me put it this way: Until I met your sister, I was all but a law-abiding citizen."

"Oh. How comes?"

Nick shrugged again. "Try and make a living when every mammal you meet treats you like a sly, slithering, untrustworthy piece of trash."

"That bad?"

"Worse. Judy actually was the first mammal in about two decades who believed in me."

Billy grinned, looking down at his sister. "Yeah, that's our Judy! Always seeing the best in a mammal." His voice was oozing sarcasm.

Nick raised an eyebrow. This would have been high praise if said with a little less sarcasm. Because of that sarcasm, however, little more than a veiled insult remained, targeting Judy's obvious gullibility.

Before he was able to comment on his comment, however, the indistinct murmur around them grew in volume. Judy's head whipped around. "What's going on?"

"No idea." Nick looked around, but they were surrounded by mammals who were much taller than him.

Fortunately, that wasn't much of a problem. A tall tiger standing in their vicinity shouted, obviously for the benefit of all those smaller than him: "Someone just left City Hall and is walking towards the dais. Looks like a pig to me."

"Councilmammal Swinton, perhaps?" Nick asked loudly.

"Could be," a giraffe piped in.

Nick closed his eyes. "Great! Just great!"

"What's wrong?" Judy asked.

Nick heaved a sigh. "Let's just say I have a pretty good idea what she's about to talk about, and it ain't pretty."

"What do you mean?"

Before Nick was able to answer, a loud female voice was heard over the din. " _Citizens of Zootopia, may I have your attention, please?_ "

"Yep, it's Swinton," the giraffe said, perhaps unnecessarily.

" _I am Matilda Swinton, and after the arrest of Robert Aries for ordering savage attacks on innocent predators, the burden of being the Acting Mayor came to rest on my shoulders_."

This created quite a bit of noise from the assembled mammals, but Swinton continued regardless. " _You'll probably expect me to be here on behalf of the City Council, as your Acting Mayor, to tell you about the current proceedings and discussions within the Council, but that's not why I'm here._ "

"Not?" Judy sounded surprised, and given the many commentaries Nick heard, she wasn't the only surprised mammal around.

" _Many of you_ ," Swinton said, " _came here in protest over some crime committed by prey mammals against predators, demanding justice, demanding that things should happen that would make life in Zootopia enjoyable again, for both predators and prey. It is an issue the City Council has hardly dealt with in the past, and it shows. As a matter of fact, I experienced it myself, personally_."

She made a pause. " _Back when I was a professional tennis player, one of my mixed double partners was a lynx named Wesley Pardinus. We were a hugely successful team, winning the Nagerian Open twice, among several other tournaments. Sadly, a nagging shoulder injury put a premature end to his career. He left the tennis circuit, became a bookseller, and started a family. And despite this, we still kept in touch. He was one of my best friends, so the question of him being a predator and me being prey never even occurred to us. He even honored me by asking me to be the godmother to his second child, a daughter named Karen_."

Someone had trained a camera on her, and her face appeared on the huge view screens situated to both sides of the dais. Nick was surprised to see that her appearance, usually immaculate, was less than perfect. Their even appeared to be black streaks on her face. It looked like she had cried a little while ago, and hadn't bothered refreshing her make-up afterwards. Her eyes were downcast, her face that of someone who was in intense pain.

" _A few weeks ago, Wesley's daughter, my goddaughter, fell victim to a savage attack. She was beaten within an inch of death by a group of mammals. Yesterday she succumbed to her countless injuries. Just because seven mammals decided that it was fun to end her life by clubbing her to death_."

Shouts of shock and rage were heard all around Nick, who closed his eyes, sighing. The lynx killed by her son, she had been Swinton's goddaughter?

Just what had Zootopia degenerated into?

Swinton continued: " _Karen Pardinus died because seven PREY mammals decided to end her existence!_ "

The cries of shock became louder.

Swinton looked around. " _I know what you're thinking right now. You think that this has gone on long enough, you think that the perpetrators should be brought to justice, you think that predators should, once again, be allowed to live in peace and safety, something that hasn't been granted to them over the course of the last few months_." Her voice sounded like it was about to crack. She cleared her throat. " _I want you to know that I agree with you, and wholeheartedly at that. It is time for Zootopia to, once again, become the place where anyone can be anything, regardless of species, age, gender, and convictions_." She heaved a sigh. " _Sadly, that is no longer my call to make_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the giraffe asked.

" _I came here to tell you that, a few minutes ago, I handed in my resignation. As of right now, I'm not the Acting Mayor of Zootopia anymore. I'm not even a councilmammal anymore. I have stepped down, and I have asked Councilmammal Cameron Caballus to take over as Acting Mayor_."

She took a deep breath. " _The reason for this is that one of the thugs that beat Karen Pardinus to death has been arrested a few hours ago, and as it turns out, it happens to be my youngest son, Edward Franklin Swinton_."

She looked up, directly into the camera, completely ignoring the shouts and cries from the throng. " _Yes, Wesley, it was my very own son who killed your daughter. A son whom I may have brought into the world, but whom I completely failed to educate. I never taught him how to behave, I never taught him how_ not _to behave. Because when he grew up, I was never at home._

" _I let others watch over him. I trusted others to educate him, and I felt justified in doing so, simply because I was so busy. I merely watched him grow up. I watched him, I listened to him, but I never really took in what was happening to him. I merely stepped aside and watched him grow up, as the years passed me by._

" _Now he's almost an adult, and he's turned into a monster._

" _And it's my fault, and mine alone_."

She looked down. " _It's my fault Karen Pardinus had to die. It's my fault that one of my very best friends was robbed off his daughter. It's my fault that my son will spend the foreseeable future in prison. All of this is my fault, because I failed to do what I was supposed to do._

" _I failed my son. I failed my friend Wesley. I failed his daughter Karen. I failed each and every one of you._

" _Because I stepped aside and let Dawn Bellwether establish a reign of terror. I even supported her by voting for each and every of her submissions that did little but harm predators_.

" _I'm no longer in any position to make decisions for you. Because I have proven that I'm not to be trusted with power. The power I was given by you had made me selfish, had made me forget what I was supposed to do. My inaction meant that predators had to suffer. I made my friends suffer. I made each and every one of you suffer. I caused a young lynx, who still had her whole life ahead of her, to die. This is my burden, my cross to bear_.

" _I have proven that I have never been worthy of being your elected councilmammal, which is why I step down now, to make place for mammals who are more suited for the job_.

" _But there is one last thing I'm going to do now, before I leave you and the City Council behind. I strongly urge all councilmammals to do what needs to be done! Revert Bellwether's decisions! Prove to the world that you are willing to step up and end the atrocities perpetrated against predators! Do what I failed to do! Do not repeat my mistakes!_

" _Then, and only then, will Zootopia be the place where prey and predators can live together in peace and harmony! Only then will Zootopia be the place where anyone can be anything!_

" _Thank you for your attention!_ "

Swinton stepped down from the dais, not looking at anyone, her shoulders sagged.

Judy looked up at Nick. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

Nick made a face. "I knew it was her son who killed the lynx girl. It was me who identified him on the footage."

Judy shook her head. "Her own goddaughter! Killed by her own son. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes now."

"And now what?" Billy Hopps asked.

"That," Nick said slowly, "is a very good question."

* * *

 **A question the next chapter will answer …**

 **The "Ayrton Hyenna" quote was, of course, uttered by the late, great Ayrton Senna.**

 **And yes, Tilda Swinton's career as a professional tennis player is a nutty bow towards "Fräulein Forehand," Steffi Graf, one of the most successful tennis players in history and, to date, the only person to achieve the "Golden Slam." In 1988, she not only managed to win all four Grand Slam Tournaments - the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open -, she also emerged victoriously at the Olympic Games in Seoul in the very same year. And I guess I probably don't do her much justice by heaping her accolades on a pig … ;-) (And no, I'm not a particular fan of hers. As a matter of fact, Mastiff's opinion on idols is mine. I've met quite a lot of important people and celebrities over the years, politicians mostly, and I couldn't help noticing that if I had children, I wouldn't want them to worship those celebrities as their role models. Some intelligent guy once said that great men have no idols, because they know too many people personally whom other people consider their idols. Sage words indeed!)**

 **The Austin J. Tobin Plaza, that's the real name, (also known as the WTC Plaza) was the name of the outdoor plaza at the World Trade Center, New York City. It was named after the former Director of the Port of New York Authority who oversaw the development of the World Trade Center. Thought the name was fitting for such an important plaza.**

 **"** **Give Peace a Chance" was, of course, written by John Lennon (although credited to both Lennon and Paul McCartney) and performed by the Plastic Ono Band, Apple Records, 1969. This song is almost a cliché in itself, yet it fits the given situation like a glove.**

 **When I created Billy Hopps, I always wanted him to stand out, both in character as well as in outward appearance, so it had always been clear to me that he had to be exceptionally tall. I had one particular picture in mind, a picture you can find in the book "Disney Zootopia: The Essential Guide." (Yes, I own that book, or rather, my wife does. She's particularly partial to bunnies, so a book full of pictures of cute little bunnies sure is something she cherishes enormously. By the way, the picture can also be found on the "Zootopia Wiki" homepage, on the "Hopps Family" entry. ) It shows a rather small part of the Hopps family. Now, I couldn't help noticing that there are two bucks in the picture who're basically towering over the rest. While it is quite common for children to be taller than their parents (I'm easily four inches taller than my father, I was five inches taller than my mother), I tend to think they are a bit too tall. Those two bucks are easily eight to ten inches taller than everyone else. Which is quite a bit much when talking about taller children.**

 **But then I remembered one of my fellow students in school. His parents both stood in at less than six feet, but at age 14, he was reaching 6'9" and change. Nobody knew why, until they found the tumor. He had surgery, and his permanent growth came to an end. Which is fortunate, because acromegaly, this is how the condition of having said tumor is called, is very serious, responsible not only for most of the tallest men in history (those you can find mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records), but also for their early demises. Treatment through hormone therapy or removal through surgery are the only options to allow those suffering from acromegaly to survive. Nasty stuff, this.**

 **The "Pschyrembel," that's the correct name, is indeed a clinical dictionary, created by Willibald Pschyrembel, and quite famous in Germany. When I was working at a home for the aged, someone urged me to buy one, and I did. And while I admit not understanding most of what's written in the book, it has given me quite a lot of insight into medical terms and health issues.**

 **Today's tasks: Find the character from the Disney movie "Tarzan." Shouldn't be too difficult …**

 **There also are two small quotes in here. One is from the computer game:** ** _Starcraft II - Wings of Liberty_** **. In case you have difficulties finding it, it was uttered by Tychus Findlay.**

 **The second one is taken from one of the songs of the 1986 movie "Little Shop of Horrors." It's slightly altered, but finding it shouldn't be too difficult. But if finding it gives you trouble, it's in one of the songs sung by Seymour Krelborn (played by Rick Moranis).**

 **And that's it for today! Again, sorry for the huge delay in posting this. Please don't hold it against me!**

 **Thanks for reading, and please, send me your reviews!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	10. Chapter Ten- The Best Mammal for the Job

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Back again, much quicker this time! ;-)**

 **Contrary to my original plan, this isn't the penultimate chapter. It threatened to become too long and cumbersome, so I split it in two. Two more chapters (maybe three …), and I'm finally done with "Wound." About time, too!**

 **These are the stats so far: Views have crept up to almost 8,000, I received 99 reviews, 52 favorites and 85 alerts. Thank you for your consistent support.**

 **Thanks to Combat Engineer, Galaxyexplorer74, Story. Writer. 2015, Robert Escher, Foxlover91, Dirtkid123, LupinTheWolf, niraD, and DrummerMax64 for sending me their reviews! And thanks to Panjetarkan for his private message in which he pointed out some really big screw-ups to me. Yes, there are several monumental mistakes in my stories, incongruence in relationships, continuity errors, factual errors, you name it! Maybe I'll address them at one point or another, but right now, I have bigger fish to fry! Much bigger ones! Be that as it may, thanks to you again, Panjetarkan! And bring it on!**

 **Congrats to Foxlover91 for being the first one to find the character from "Tarzan." It was, of course, the teacher, Mr. Tantor, who's probably an elephant! (I honestly didn't give the character too much thought.)**

 **My dear friend DrummerMax64 also called out Mr. Tantor, but Foxlover91 simply was a bit quicker. However, he was the first, and so far the only one, to find the quote from "Little Shop of Horrors." In the song "Skid Row (Downtown)," we hear Seymour Krelborn sing at one point: "I started life as an orphan, a child of the street, here on skid row. He took me in, gave me shelter, a bed, crust of bread and a job; treats me like dirt, calls me a slob, which I am …" I used almost the exact same phrase to describe what happened when Finnick found Nick. Great work, DrummerMax64!**

 **He also pointed out a quote from Starcraft II to me, an exchange between Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay, where they agree that working together again would be "just like old times." Yes, I used the exact same words during the exchange between Bogo and Mastiff, but this sentence isn't exactly a rare occurrence in books, movies, or computer games. I honestly didn't think of StarCraft II when I wrote it. No, the quote from StarCraft II is a different one …**

 **Which was found, yet again, by DrummerMax64! (Boy, you sure know how to find stuff! That's the fourth hidden Easter egg you found in this story!) At one point, Tychus Findlay says: "Sweet mother of mercy!" upon seeing the destruction caused by the Queen of Blades and her Zerg. Good one, DrummerMax64! Kudos to you!**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

 **The Best Mammal for the Job**

(Today's motto song can be found both within the chapter as well as in the author's notes towards the end. I just don't want to ruin the suspense! ;-))

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Office of the Chief of Police, City Center, Zootopia**

Adrian Bogo looked at his notebook's display, heaving a heavy sigh. The screen showed a somewhat lengthy list of names, four of which had been crossed out. "Leodore Lionheart, Dawn Bellwether, Robert Aries, Matilda Swinton," he read aloud. The pointer was hovering over a fifth name. "Cameron Caballus - are you the next one to go?"

He shook his head. When had he become so fed up with the situation that he had started talking to himself?

With Swinton's resignation, the appalling condition of the City Council had become even more obvious. Instead of 51 councilmammals, the City Council had been reduced to 48 members. And given the fact that three of those were under investigation and would probably face prosecution before long, it wasn't too hazardous a guess to say that their numbers would dwindle further.

Much worse that this, however, was the fact that after Aries had been arrested, the Council seemed to have been shocked into inactivity. Which was bad, because with civil unrest threatening to erupt amongst the population, decisions were needed - decisions that would help defuse the situation.

Then again, the last decisions made by the City Council had all but ameliorated the situation.

Bogo couldn't help shake the feeling that maybe re-elections would be the best way to go.

Suddenly, his telephone rang. Picking it up from the desktop while closing his notebook's lid, he answered the phone.

"Uhm, Officer Caballus here. You have a phone call, sir."

Bogo rolled his eyes. "You know, Caballus, why don't you just patch 'em through? If I don't want to talk to the mammal, I can disconnect myself."

"Uh, yes, but … I don't want to … make mistakes."

Not for the first time, Bogo asked himself how such an indecisive, insecure mammal had managed to pass the ZPA with good enough grades to make it to Precinct One. "Okay, who is it?"

"Uhm, my father, sir."

Bogo said up straighter. "Well, patch him through!"

"Of course!"

A few seconds later, Bogo heard someone clear his throat. "Hello? Is this you, Chief Bogo?"

"Yes, it's me, Mr. Caballus. Good morning!"

"Yes, yes, good morning!" The voice Bogo heard came as quite the surprise to Bogo. He had met Caballus twice before, and both times, he had spoken in an unctuous tone similar to that of Robert Aries. Now, however, Caballus spoke fast, his style of speech was hectic, as if his brain was working too fast for his mouth to keep up. And if there still was an unctuous tone to his voice, Bogo failed to hear it. "I just called you to ask you one question."

"Which is?"

"Officer Hopps said that Leodore Lionheart has been duped by Dawn Bellwether. Is that true?"

Bogo made a frown. "Well, yes, we have a recording of Bellwether saying something to that effect. I think her exact words were that she framed Lionheart."

"Aha. Do you think Lionheart is innocent?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Is Lionheart innocent or not?"

"Uhm, excuse me, sir, but what exactly do you want from me? I'm the Chief of Police, not a judge or a jury."

"I'm asking you to be neither."

"Sorry, that's not for me to decide! I'm a police officer, nothing more, nothing less. A crime is brought to my attention, I start investigating. When my investigations show that someone has perpetrated a crime, I arrest that someone. If my investigations show that the mammal is innocent, there will be no arrest. At one point I merely close a case, usually after the suspect is either cleared of all charges or convicted. That's the point where my job ends. Whether a mammal is innocent or not, that's for judges to decide. And even if I'm mistaken, it merely means I didn't do my job properly. At no point in all this, my personal opinion comes into play."

"Alright, Mr. Bogo, let's forget you're a police officer for a second. Do you think Lionheart is innocent?"

Bogo leaned back in his chair. When he had met Caballus for the first time, at a charity ball for homeless children in Zootopia, his first impression had been that the horse was the epitome of _nouveau riche_ , a filthy rich mammal whose morale sense hadn't kept up with the constant growth of his bank account. Arrogant, patronizing, disparaging towards everybody - talking to him had felt like talking to a school bully.

That had in fact been the attribute Bogo had mentally assigned to him: _Cameron Caballus, Chief Bully of the City Council._

Somehow the bully part of his character didn't seem to want to manifest itself at the moment.

"Innocent?" Bogo said finally. "Certainly not. After all, he _did_ falsely imprison those predators."

"Yes, but he was coerced."

"Maybe so, still, a crime is a crime."

"With the knowledge we have today, every lawyer would claim extenuating circumstances."

Bogo shrugged, although Caballus wouldn't be able to see it. "Probably, but like I said, that's for judges to decide, not for me."

"He's your friend, right?"

Bogo sighed. "Congratulations for finding out that one. Yes, he's one of my oldest friends."

"And you're okay with him being in prison?"

Bogo snorted. "Listen, Caballus, Leodore simply is the last in line of several mammals I befriended over the course of the years, only to have to arrest them later. They broke laws, I arrested them. Period. I simply serve the law. It simply doesn't matter if I'm a friend of the criminal or not."

"I applaud your integrity." Caballus made a pause. "Seeing that he is your friend, and forgetting for the moment that you are a police officer with such high moral standards, do you think he should be pardoned?"

"Excuse me?"

"Or would it be wrong to order the release of someone who's guilty of a major crime?"

Bogo stared at the phone in his hoof in disbelief before speaking into it again. "What did you just say?"

Caballus heaved a sigh. "As the Mayor, even if I only am the acting one, it's one of my prerogatives to grant pardons. I can easily overrule any judge, any jury, any district attorney, any police officer. Especially if the other councilmammals agree with me."

"Which they don't."

"Which they _haven't_. But, you know, things might change."

Bogo made a pause, trying to wrap his head around what was just transpiring.

 _What in the name of all that's holy has gotten into him?_

"Excuse me, Caballus, but why are you telling me this? If you can overrule each and every one of us, why don't you just do so and be done with it?"

"Because I want to make the right decision, not just the next best one."

Bogo stared at the phone again. The Cameron Caballus he'd known previously would just have made a decision which would have made sure profit for himself was highest. If others had to suffer due to his decision, he couldn't have cared less.

When had Caballus started to want to make the right decisions?

Sensing an opportunity, he said: "Yes, speaking of making the right decision, is there any possibility for me to finally have a full roster of officers again? Don't you think this farce has gone on long enough?"

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. "You know I voted against Bellwether, don't you?"

"I do, and a fat lot of use you were!"

Bogo could virtually hear Caballus lift an eyebrow. "Are you trying to antagonize me, Chief?"

"Why, yes, I am! Over the course of the last few weeks, you and your cronies have made my life a living hell! Tell me, how'm I supposed to uphold the law, when all the City Council did for me was putting obstacles in my way? It's as if the Council didn't want the law to be upheld."

"Is this why you arrested three Mayors? Is that why Merino, Brooks, and Hirvi are under investigation? Is that why you try your hardest to destroy the City Council?"

"You know perfectly well why we arrested Lionheart, Bellwether, and Aries. And you also know that we have evidence suggesting that Merino, Brooks, and Hirvi were in league with Bellwether. I'm merely doing my job. I don't need to try and destroy the City Council, it's doing the job all on its own. It's not my fault it's full of corrupt, opportunistic, power-hungry mammals."

There was silence on the other end of the line, then Caballus finally sighed. "I'll do what I can to give you your officers back. Thank you for your time, Chief." With that, he disconnected.

Bogo stared at the telephone with a frown. _What the heck had that all been about?_

It suddenly occurred to Bogo that he had probably found a similarity between Officer Caballus and her father.

It seemed that under the veneer of being a bully, Cameron Caballus was just as insecure as his daughter.

* * *

 **Zootopia Municipal Correctional Facility, Prison Cell 23A; Current Inmate: Prisoner 6493587 - Leodore Lionheart, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

Somebody knocked against the bars separating Leodore Lionheart from the rest of the world. Lionheart looked up from the book he was reading. One of the guards, an elephant Lionheart only knew as Roger, was standing in front of his cell, having just rapped the bars with his nightstick. "You got a visitor," Roger said.

"Really?" Lionheart got up from his cot. "Who is it? My wife?"

Roger shook his head. "Not quite."

"What do you mean, not quite?"

Roger merely grinned at him while opening the cell door. Lionheart shook his head and left his cell, walking down the corridor.

Two minutes later, he was sitting in the visiting area in a cubicle, behind bullet-proof glass. And the mammal sitting on the other side was among the last ones he'd expected to see here. He picked up the receiver and said, without any sort of greeting: "Did you come here to gloat, Cameron?"

Caballus gave him a rather strained looking smile. "And a good day to you, too, Leodore."

Lionheart wasn't in the mood for nice, joyful banter. "Spare me the pleasantries! What do you want? We both know this is not a goodwill visit."

Although being members of the same political party, Cameron Caballus had never been exactly on friendly terms with Leodore Lionheart. To say that Lionheart considered Caballus to be utterly corrupt and utterly useless was an understatement. While Lionheart had tried to use his influence to do everything in his power to improve life for every citizen of Zootopia, Caballus only seemed to be interested in watching his wealth increase. They had clashed on numerous occasions, particularly during those moments when Lionheart had been forced, yet again, to convince Caballus to do what was best for everyone involved. Egotistical to a fault, Caballus had usually failed to see the big picture, so working with him had often felt like pulling teeth without anesthesia.

"You're right, it isn't. I just wanted to talk to you, Acting Mayor to ex-Mayor."

Lionheart guffawed. "Acting Mayor? Who in their right mind made you the Acting Mayor?"

"Didn't you hear the news? Bob Aries was arrested for ordering attacks on predators."

"Yeah, I know. But what …"

"And Swinton stepped down yesterday."

"Yes, I know that one, too. So what?"

"Well, I was the next in line."

"I thought that … oh, right, Pardalis and Murinus were forced into retirement."

"They were. Meaning I was climbing up the ranks."

Lionheart leant back, not bothering to hide his contempt. "So they're basically putting a fox in charge of the henhouse."

"Interesting choice of words, Leodore. You know it was a fox who helped Officer Hopps solve the Savage Predators case?"

"I do, yes."

"And you also know he applied for the ZPA?"

Lionheart sighed. "Why do you keep telling me things I already know?"

"Because _I_ don't know if _you_ know them or not. Did you also know that the chances of this fox becoming a police officer are virtually zero?"

Lionheart frowned. "No, I didn't. Why?"

"You know my daughter works at the ZPD?" Lionheart nodded. "Well, she told me that this fox has spent most of his life being a con-mammal. Chief Bogo told her, and the fox himself admitted to it later."

Lionheart considered this for a moment. "So he has a criminal record."

"Which would it make impossible for the ZPD to accept him into their ranks, yes."

Lionheart shrugged. "So what? You pardon him, everything's fine."

"Yes, I could certainly do that. However, I ..." Caballus hesitated visibly. "You know why I ran for office?"

Lionheart shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea." He couldn't help adding: "I have a suspicion, though."

Caballus closed his eyes. "To protect my company, right?"

Lionheart's jaw dropped. "Uhm, yes, the thought had crossed my mind."

His eyes still closed, Caballus said, very matter-of-factly: "And you would be right."

Lionheart just stared at him in complete and utter disbelief. Never, not in a million years, would he have expected Caballus to admit to it.

Caballus opened his eyes again and continued, still very matter-of-factly. "You probably know that my parents were very poor." Lionheart nodded. "They had to work their bottoms off to make sure my education was paid for. My dad ruined his health over it. I never wanted to experience this poverty ever again. So when I started my construction company with the huge help of the Lemming Brothers Bank, I started working my bottom off, too. And I got lucky. There were plans to expand the Palm Hotel, and in a bidding war, I managed to come out on top. And ever since that fateful day, money kept rolling in from all directions." He sighed. "You know what the worst thing about having lots of money is, when you started with nothing but the clothes on your back?"

"The fear of losing it again?" It surprised Lionheart just how croaky his own voice sounded.

Caballus nodded. "You get paranoid. You start thinking that everybody around you is trying to take your earnings away from you. This is why I ran for office, plain as that. I wanted to be on the forefront, making sure no new tax laws would be imposed, no rules and regulations would be passed that could diminish my wealth.

"And it worked. I started with nothing, now Furbes lists me as the seventh-richest mammal in Zootopia."

Slowly coming out of his stupor, Lionheart wanted to give him a mock applause, but he somehow had the feeling that this would be very inappropriate at this stage. "Why are you telling me this?"

Caballus ignored him. "I ran for office, but I always made sure never to be in any position of importance, because in the end, I didn't care about Zootopia at all. All I cared about was my finances. Sure, I was a member of the finance committee, of the city development committee, and I held several other posts over the years. But I never, ever, tried to climb the ranks. I never wanted to be a Mayor. You know why?"

"No, but I guess you're going to tell me."

"I am. I never wanted to be a Mayor, because I would have been forced to think about other mammals, about _their_ well-being, not only about _mine_. I would have had to take care. I would have had to work for somebody else, not for me. This is why I hid behind you, behind Dawn, behind Bob, behind Tilda, behind Franklin, behind Zack.

"I would never have guessed that we would start playing the 'Ten Little Foxes' song. And then there were five, four, three, two, one." He made a pause. "And then there's me. The last guy you'd want to have as your Mayor."

"You could step down, you know," Lionheart said silently.

"And then what? More chaos? More indecisiveness?" Caballus gave a grunt. "Ever since you were arrested, Zootopia slowly, but surely, fell into complete disarray. Right now, we are this close," he indicated a tiny gap with his fingers, "to all-out anarchy. There is a permanent protest rally camped out in front of City Hall. They've been peaceful so far, but it won't stay like that for long, I'm afraid. Not unless the City Council steps up and does the things that need to be done."

"So do them!" Lionheart said. "You're the guy in charge! Force through all those motions that could restore peace and order!"

Caballus guffawed. "Me? The most ill-fitting guy you can possibly imagine! I'm not the guy to run this city, and you know it!"

Again, Lionheart stared at him in disbelief. Caballus had always stricken him as power-hungry, as someone eager to take up the baton. Seemed like he had been mistaken.

"What this city needs," Caballus said, "is someone whose just has this one goal to do what is best for the city. The mammals who took office after you were arrested, they all lacked that exact same quality. Each and every one of them." He leaned back in his chair. "We need the best mammal for the job, not just the next one in line."

Lionheart cleared his throat. "You know what they say? A fault confessed is half redressed. You know of your faults and shortcomings. Work against them, and you can become a great Mayor."

"Do you really think so?"

"I do, yes."

"Why, thank you, but …"

Caballus made a pause so long, Lionheart finally said: "But what?"

Caballus heaved a sigh, and suddenly, he looked much older than he actually was. "When Tilda Swinton stepped down yesterday, when she told me that I would be in charge from now on, my first impulse was to run away and hide until the nightmare was over. I never wanted to be Mayor, much less become it through having all other guys in front of me removed from office, not through being elected into office.

"But then, the first mammals started congratulating me. The other councilmammals. The DA. Several reporters. Even some totally unknown guys on the streets. You cannot imagine what this did for my self-esteem. By the time I came home, by the time my wife congratulated me on becoming the Mayor, I was walking on clouds. I was happy! I was the happiest mammal on the planet. Me, the pipsqueak, suddenly Citizen Number One! I was more than elated.

"And then my youngest son, who had not congratulated me, asked me one simple question."

"Which was?"

Caballus lowered his head. "He asked me if I would turn into a monster now."

"Excuse me?"

Caballus looked up again, locking eyes with Lionheart. "Those were his words. 'Dad, are you going to turn into a monster, now that you're in control?'"

"Sorry, but what's that supposed to mean?"

"That's what I asked him. Instead of telling me, he got out his iPawd and played a song to me. It's from a band called Megadeer. Ever heard of them?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"I thought so. I have no idea what the song is called, but it starts with these words: 'You take a mortal mammal and put him in control. Watch him become a god. Watch people's heads a-roll.'"

Lionheart gasped. "This … sounds ugly."

"Doesn't it?" He made a pause. "Tell me, do you remember what Dawn Bellwether was like when she became a councilmammal? You already were on the Council, weren't you?"

"I was." Lionheart thought about it for a moment. "Young. Sweet. Helpful. Naïve. A bit too innocent for the job. Slightly bumbling, but who isn't during his or her first term."

"Would you ever have guessed she'd turn into the master manipulator? Would you ever have guessed she'd become so power-hungry, she would have sold her own grandmother to gain power?"

"I wouldn't." Lionheart made a pause. "Are you suggesting …"

"Is it inevitable, Leodore? Do we all turn into monsters, once we come to power?"

Lionheart looked at Caballus, examining him. There was a distinctively distraught look on the horse. "I sure hope not."

Caballus looked at Lionheart. "But the evidence is there."

Lionheart hesitated, then he nodded. "It certainly seems that way."

"Bellwether started following her own agenda, turning into some sort of wannabe-dictator along the way. Aries began stopping at nothing to make sure his vision of safety and security would come to fruition, a vision in which predators had no place at all. Tilda Swinton simply was in way over her head. The same goes for most councilmammals I've met over the years."

Caballus made a pause. "In all these years, I came across only one mammal on the council who had become a councilmammal to do good, to help the citizens of Zootopia. Someone who was remarkably selfless, someone who was even willing to go to prison to do the right thing, to protect the city from itself." He pointed at Lionheart. "I'm looking at him right now."

Lionheart shrugged. "I did my very best, but, you know, at the end of the day, I also wanted to protect my job."

"Officer Hopps suggested otherwise."

"I know. She depicted me as some sort of knight in shining white armor. I wasn't. I merely knew that once the fact that all those mammals turning savage were predators would leak to the public, that mammals would ask for my head. A lion as Mayor, during a time when predators started turning savage to the left and the right - no, I merely wanted to keep my job, to stay in power."

"Yet you put your career on the line to defuse the situation, to make sure that civil unrest wouldn't manifest itself." Caballus sighed. "And seeing what happened afterwards, it was a good call. You cannot imagine the chaos I've seen over the course of the last few days." Now he snorted. "And the worst thing about this is, the ZPD's almost powerless, seeing that their number of personnel is so low. The suspended officers need to be reinstated at once. Law and order need to be restored. We need to make sure all predators within the city limits of Zootopia, maybe even beyond, are safe and sound again. We need to make sure that Zootopia really is the place were anyone can be anything." He leaned forward, fixing his gaze on Lionheart. "And by we, I mean you."

Lionheart snorted. "Hello? You know why I'm here?"

"I called Chief Bogo just this morning. He confirmed what Hopps told the public during the press conference: Dawn framed you."

"So what?"

"Well, if you were coerced into falsely imprisoning all those predators, it would make a big difference, don't you think?"

"Hardly. In the end, a crime is a crime."

"That's what Bogo told me, too. You two really are remarkably similar."

Lionheart sighed. "Adrian's one of my oldest friends. Of course we agree on most things."

"Well, the DA, for one, seems to think that once it is proven in court that Dawn coerced you, your sentence would surely be greatly diminished. Maybe you'd even be cleared of all charges."

"You talked to him, too?"

"On my way here, yes."

Lionheart snorted. "Do you really think it would make a difference? Do you really think that, even if I were to be exonerated, the citizens of Zootopia would be willing to support me ever again?"

"You'd be surprised, but I tend to think so, yes."

That gave Lionheart pause. "You do?"

Caballus gave him a mirthless smile. "You know, before I came here, I was talking to several other councilmammals. By my count, the number of councilmammals who would openly support you is sitting at around 40 mammals. Just imagine: You have all the Republicans, all the members of the Green Party, behind you. The only guys openly against you or leaning towards undecided are members of our own party, Leodore."

He made an encompassing gesture. "It's the same with the mammals on the streets. I was talking to some of them when I left City Hall. Most seem to think along the lines of Officer Hopps. Zootopia never had it better than when you were in office. Of course, there are a few dimwits who'd like to condemn you to hell for what you did, but I tend to think that the vast majority of citizens would love to see you become the Mayor again."

Lionheart looked at him, a strange feeling in his chest. "Is that why you came here, to boost my morale?"

"No. I came here to ask you one thing."

He took a piece of paper out of the inner pocket of his suit. Holding it up, he said: "If I use this, would you be willing and able to return to the City Council? Would you be willing and able to take up the baton again? Would you be willing and able to become the Mayor again, the Mayor this city so sorely needs?"

"Is this …"

"Yes, it's an official pardon, signed by me, by Lawrence Castor, and by Andrew Horner. I use this, you go free, and all your crimes will be forgotten. And if you're willing to return, I'm going to make sure you'll have the votes to once again become the Mayor."

"This … is sudden."

"I know. But desperate times call for desperate measures." Caballus sighed. "Listen, Leodore, we've never exactly been on friendly terms. I know you don't like me all that much, but that's okay - my own son's afraid of me, which is way worse. I'm only doing this because it's the right thing to do. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for Zootopia. So, what do you say?"

Lionheart thought about this for almost one minute. Finally he said: "You'd be my Assistant Mayor."

"Yes."

"You know that there's a lot of work that needs to be done?"

"I do. Oh yes, I do."

"The first thing probably is to call for re-elections. Right now, the City Council is in shambles. We need the balance between prey and predators re-established. We need to rid the Council of all mammals who were only following their very own agenda. The easiest way to achieve this is by forcing through a motion that ends in re-election."

"I wholeheartedly agree. But how do you want to achieve this?"

For the first time in weeks, Lionheart smiled. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

"So you're in?"

"I'm in."

Now Caballus returned the smile. "And you cannot imagine how glad I am hearing you say this." He got up. "I need to talk to the warden. When you're done, please come to the City Hall at once. We've got a lot of work to do, and quickly!"

"We certainly have." Lionheart hesitated. "Thank you, Cameron!"

Caballus nodded. "You're very welcome, Leodore."

 _You take a mortal man and put him in control. Watch him become a god. Watch people's heads a-roll._

Megadeth: "Symphony of Destruction" (Written by Dave Mustaine, from the album "Countdown to Extinction," Capitol Records, 1992)

* * *

 **Yes, of course, Megadeer is Megadeth! The front man's name, by the way, is Dave Mustelid. Thought you ought to know. ;-) "Symphony of Destruction" seems to have been written for exactly this occasion. I simply love the song. (Oh, and by the way: "Aguante Megadeth!" ;-))**

 **"** **Ten Little Foxes" is my version of the infamous "Ten Little Injuns" song by Septimus Winner, now considered pejorative, and rightly so. Its German version is little better. It's called "Zehn kleine Negerlein," which literally translates to "Ten Little Niggers." I never liked the song very much, to be honest, even as a child. I'm German, I'm Caucasian, and I pretty much look like the epitome of an Aryan, reasonably tall, reasonably well-built, with blonde (okay, dark blonde) hair. But one of my best friends, who, sadly, died some ten years ago, was from Egypt. I'm friends with a family that fled from Afghanistan. One of my friends in school was from Syria. I'm on friendly terms with several Turkish people. One of my friends is half-Italian. Hell, my wife is half-Ukrainian! I probably am the only pure-bred German amongst all my friends, and I couldn't care less. To me, race has never meant anything. Skin color has never meant anything. To be honest, I even envy black people! They can stand quite a lot of UV light, whereas I'm pretty much the "keep out of direct sunlight" kind of guy. I get sunburned easily, and I never, ever managed to get a nice tan.**

 **In my world, there's no place for racial prejudice. 'Nuff said!**

 **I probably hid several quotes in this chapter, but I didn't actively try and do it. If you come across one, you'll receive a honorable mention in the next chapter.**

 **And that's another chapter done! Thanks for reading, and please, send me your reviews!**

 **(Edit: Thanks to AurionG for pointing out a really stupid mistake to me: Of course it's "prosecution," not "persecution!" Would have loved to answer you in person, but that's the way it is!)**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	11. Chapter Eleven - Tabula Rasa

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **My, what a week this has been!**

 **First of all, I came down with frontal sinusitis, and hard - my temperature was some 102 degrees Fahrenheit, and I simply felt wretched. My own fault actually; the weather here in Germany was absolutely dismal over the last couple of weeks, and when it's cold, rainy, and windy, wearing a skull cap should be mandatory when you spend the days working outside. Well, I hadn't been wearing one, so it was my own stupidity, my own negligence, which caused the sinusitis. On top of that, my choir had two concerts to perform over the weekend - we presented the "St. Luke Passion" by Georg Philipp Telemann - and of course I had a short solo part to do, the role of St. Peter renouncing Jesus. ("Mensch, ich weiß nicht, was du sagest!") Luckily, my voice was okay, but the rest of me felt just terrible. But, like the Prussians said: "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." Fortunately, I'm fine again. So, on with our story, right?**

 **And yet again, I decided to split this chapter in two, just because it became too big and unwieldy, so there's one more chapter to come, plus an extensive epilogue (which may yet turn into several chapters as well). This is a huge story anyway, much bigger than "Nightmare" already, despite being almost ten chapters shorter.**

 **A short look at the stats reveals these figures: I'm looking at more than 9,200 views, 114 reviews, 56 favorites, and 91 alerts. As always, I'm deeply indebted to each and every one of you!**

 **I also want to thank these dedicated followers for sending me their reviews: Foxlover91, Archangel12575, Lone-Wonderer, Robert Escher (from one German to the Half-German: "Vielen Dank!"), BeecroftA, Story. Writer. 2015, LupinTheWolf, Galaxyexplorer74, Dirtkid123, eng050599, DrummerMax64, gistech, and HawkTooth.**

 **One last note, just because I received several PMs regarding this: No, I will not abandon "Hammer to Fall!" The story is very dear to me, and I will see it through to the bitter end, come hell or high water! It just so happens that I want to finish this one here first. So, please, bear with me! It may take me quite a while still until I'll be able to return to "Hammer," but return I will. ("I'll be back!" as the Terminator would have said!)**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

 **Tabula Rasa**

 _I'm gonna change history, enlighten the world, teach them how to see through my eyes._

Five Finger Death Punch featuring Rob Halford: "Lift Me Up" (Written by Zoltan Bathory, Kevin Churko, Ivan L. Moody, Jason Hook, and Jeremy Spencer, from the album "The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1," Prospect Park, 2013)

* * *

 **Office of the District Attorney, "Herbert C. Hoofer Office" Building, City Center, Zootopia**

Andrew Horner signed the last piece of paper with a flourish and placed it on top of a sizeable stack of similar papers. And he shook his horned head while doing so.

"Eleven arrest warrants for three councilmammals, one lawyer, one magistrate judge, and six juvenile delinquents, plus four search warrants - will this ever stop?"

Adrian Bogo shrugged. "It'll stop when we have brought every mammal involved in Bellwether's nefarious schemes to justice." He pointed at the pieces of paper. "And right now, I can't shake the feeling of having barely scratched the surface."

"I hope not. This needs to end, and soon."

"My sentiments exactly."

Horner looked at the stack again. "You've never been one for half measures, eh?"

"I'm merely doing my job, Horner."

"Ruining the City Council in the process."

Bogo snorted. "I'm telling you what I told the Acting Mayor just this morning: I don't need to try and destroy the City Council, it's doing the job all on its own."

"You talked to Caballus?"

"Indeed."

"What did he want?"

"He asked me if I thought Lionheart was innocent."

"Interesting. And what did you tell him?"

Bogo gave him a somewhat mirthless grin. "Someone who falsely imprisons fifteen mammals isn't exactly innocent in my book."

"You know, I quite agree with you. But that didn't hinder Caballus from pardoning Lionheart."

Bogo's jaw dropped. "He did _what_?"

Horner leaned back, folding his hooves behind his head, obviously enjoying the fact that he had caught Bogo on the wrong hoof for a change. "Yes. Caballus was here, some two hours ago. Probably directly after your conversation. He presented me with a pardon, and to make it foolproof, he asked me to sign it. He'd signed it already, along with the acting Assistant Mayor."

"You signed it?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"Because Officer Hopps was perfectly right. This city doesn't need the next Mayor in line, it needs the best one it can get. And Lionheart was without a shadow of a doubt the best Mayor Zootopia had in decades." He made a pause. "Yes, he was one of the reasons why I was appointed as district attorney, but that's not the reason I'm saying this. I'm merely saying this because it's true. A lot of work needs to be done before we can say that Zootopia's truly is the place where anyone can be anything. And Lionheart's the only one who can get the job done. Don't you agree?"

"Hang on a minute! Caballus may have pardoned him, but that doesn't mean he's reinstated as Mayor automatically."

"Certainly not, but if I understood Caballus correctly, that's his goal."

"To reinstate Lionheart."

"It seems that way, yes."

"And you're okay with it?"

"I am."

Bogo narrowed his eyes to slits. "A few days ago, you flatly refused to sign a search warrant against a company run by a councilmammal. Now you grant me everything I ask you for without hesitation, and you even allow yourself to be involved in something which some mammals, especially those opposed to Lionheart, may at least call questionable. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Horner gave a small smile. "Let's just say you convinced me. You were so very right, Chief. I was so interested in _keeping_ my job, I forgot to _do_ my job. That was a real eye-opener for me."

Bogo nodded. "I'm glad to see that even this despicable affair led to something good."

"I will certainly not fall into the same trap again. I may be appointed by the City Council, but if they turn out to be criminals, I have work to do." He made a pause. "So, don't you think Lionheart's the best mammal for the job?" Upon seeing Bogo hesitate, he added: "I know he's your friend, Caballus told me as much. But right now, I'm not asking the friend, nor am I asking the Chief. I'm asking the citizen of Zootopia."

Bogo nodded slowly. "Yes, I agree."

Horner's smile became wider. "Even though he forced through several decisions you didn't approve of."

Bogo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The Mammal Inclusion Initiative, for one. I seem to recall you ranting about it in this very office."

Now it was Bogo's turn to smile. "I did, didn't I? I was so convinced that this was nothing more than a very bad idea. In my mind, no small mammal, regardless of species, would ever be able to become a police officer, much less a good one."

"Especially if it is a meek, tiny, cute bunny."

"You could say that."

"And then this cute bunny proves you wrong."

"She did."

"She won't be the last one joining the ZPD, you know."

"Oh, believe me, I do know."

"They won't all be as capable as Hopps is."

"Probably not, but so are a lot of bigger mammals. After all, she and her fox friend solved a case my best officers hadn't been able to crack."

"Yes, the fox." Horner looked down at the stack of papers. "You still want the pardon?"

"I think he deserves it."

Horner nodded. "Well, you should probably ask your old friend."

"You really think Caballus manages to get him reinstated?"

Horner shrugged. "No idea. But that'll be a rhetorical question before long."

"Why?"

"Because it's Caballus's long-term goal to have re-elections."

"For which he needs to dissolve the City Council, and for this he needs a two-thirds majority. And I don't …"

Horner raised his hoof. "Which he has."

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not. Apparently, his political opponents, the Republicans, plus the Green Party have joined forces with him. The fun thing is, his only real opposition stems from his very own party, the Democrats. Still, Caballus reckons he has more than 80 percent of the City Council behind him."

"How did he manage to do _that_?"

"No idea, but I guess a lot of the councilmammals seem to be just as fed up with the current state of affairs as he is. Everybody who's watched the City Council over the course of the last few weeks will have to admit that it's close to being completely dysfunctional."

Bogo snorted. "If it has ever been functional in the first place."

"You don't like politicians much, do you, Bogo?"

"What gave me away?"

Horner grinned. "Let's just call it a hunch." He pointed at the stack of papers. "I guess you have some work to do."

"That I have." Bogo picked up the pieces of paper. "Thanks again, Horner."

Horner nodded. "By the way, if you want to arrest the councilmammals right away, I suggest you go to City Hall. Caballus has summoned an extraordinary session of the City Council."

Bogo shrugged. "Why am I not surprised? In other words, I arrest them there, in front of TV cameras, the political impact will be devastating."

"Even more than it is anyway."

Bogo allowed himself a sinister-looking smile. "All the better. I guess that's exactly what Caballus wants."

"At this stage, you're probably right. He wants the City Council on the verge of total collapse, so that even the most blind mammal will see that re-elections are the only sensible path to walk."

Bogo shrugged. "Assuming, of course, that this will lead to an improvement."

"Only time will tell."

Bogo nodded. "That it will. Well, have a nice day, Horner."

"You too, Bogo."

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

"Ah, Chief Bogo." The tiny guinea pig standing in front of the receptionist's desk greeted Bogo and the officers accompanying him with a smile. "My name's Marta Aperea. Welcome to City Hall. We've been expecting you. Would you please follow me?"

Bogo looked down at her with a frown. "What do you mean, you've been expecting me?"

Aperea looked around as if wanting to make sure nobody was able to overhear them. "Well, I was told that you would probably make an appearance here, and probably in full force at that."

"Who told you?"

"Cameron Caballus. The Acting Mayor. I'm his personal secretary." If she was proud that her boss had become the Acting Mayor, her voice gave no indication, to the contrary - she sounded more like she didn't approve.

Bogo looked over his shoulder to the other officers, all of which who were returning his stare with expressions of bewilderment. "Do you know why we're here?" he asked Aperea in a somewhat lower voice.

"If I may haphazard a guess, sir, it's probably to arrest someone." Aperea's voice had lowered to barely more than a whisper.

Bogo folded his arms. "What would give you that idea?"

"Well, the fact that you came here with no less than five police officers, for one." She made a pause. "But also the fact that councilmammals Merino, Brooks, and Hirvi are under investigation."

"I wasn't aware that this was common knowledge."

"It isn't, Chief, trust me. But Cameron knows, and what he knows, I know. Comes with being his right hoof, sir."

"Ah. He's here?"

"He is. Please, follow me." She took off with surprising swiftness, given her tiny stature, and Bogo and the other police officers hurried to follow her. After a few seconds, it became obvious that their destination was the Mayor's office.

Bogo stepped up to Aperea, matching her speed. "I was told the Council's in session."

"Not yet, but the councilmammals are arriving as we speak. The meeting will start in about twenty minutes. Plenty of time to come up with a plan."

"A plan? What plan?"

"You'll see." She pressed a button on the wall which opened the large door leading into the outer office of the Mayor's office.

Bogo turned towards Higgins, who had accompanied him. "You'll wait here. This shouldn't take long."

"Of course, sir."

Bogo gave him a smirk. "And try to look inconspicuous."

Higgins looked at the other officers. Bogo had opted to take the biggest mammals with him that he could find, the elephants Pennington and Trunkaby and the rhinos McHorn and Rhinowitz. Along with Higgins and himself, they were representing the bulk of Precinct One, literally. "I guess it's to late for that, Chief," the hippo said with a smirk. Bogo merely nodded and followed the guinea pig inside the office.

Aperea walked up to the desk, climbed up a set of stairs leading to its top and sat down on a chair conveniently placed on the desktop. "You may enter at your convenience, sir. Like I said, we've been expecting you."

"Thank you," Bogo managed to say before stepping over to the door leading to the Mayor's office. Knocking twice, he waited for someone to answer him. A resounding "Come in!" followed immediately, and he entered the room.

And stood rooted to the spot.

"Hello, AJ," Leodore Lionheart greeted him.

"Leo!" Bogo stared at his old friend as if he'd seen a ghost.

The lion was standing next to the massive desk which was about the only piece of furniture in the entire room. After Lionheart had been removed from office, all his personal items - the mahogany office table, the side table, the mini-bar, the two filing cabinets and several pictures and mementoes - had been removed as well, leaving the room bare of anything which could have left the impression that a living, breathing mammal was working here. Bellwether had only added a few plants to the room, but hadn't put any furniture into it - she had even left the walls bare, so the places where pictures had hung were still visible, due to the slightly faded wallpaper around the corresponding spots. And her successors hadn't remained in office long enough to add any personal touches to the room. Bogo had been in this room countless times, usually to deliver his weekly report, informing the Mayor of all important proceedings within Precinct One, so he had noticed, with some sadness, the gradual decline in welcoming-ness.

But today, he simply had no eye for all of this. He was only staring at Lionheart.

Caballus, who was sitting at the desk, looked at Bogo with a smile and said in a mocking tone: "Greetings, Chief. I take it you know each other?"

"What are you doing here?" Bogo blurted out.

"Well," Caballus looked at Lionheart, "Leodore and I had a little chat, and he agrees with me, Zootopia is in severe need of change. A change which I cannot trigger, seeing that I never wanted this office in the first place. And since I need every ally I can get …"

His gaze turned towards Bogo. "Speaking of which, I assume you came here to arrest somebody."

Slowly, Bogo came out of his stupor. "That's right. I have arrest warrants for Isabella Merino, Jonathan Hirvi, and Maya Brooks."

"You found proof?"

"Tons of it. After Officer Fleecewood gave us a thorough confessional, Corporal Ramington followed suit. Along with the evidence found at Aries Security, we have enough to put them behind bars for a long time."

"They were all in cahoots?" Lionheart asked.

Bogo looked at the lion again. "Seems like it. We found evidence of at least two conspiratorial meeting of Bellwether, Aries, and several other mammals, including Brooks, Merino, and Hirvi. Ramington and Fleecewood were also present, that's why we know it's true. And Aries was dumb enough to keep a note concerning the meeting on his own laptop computer."

Lionheart snorted. "Great! Just great! From this day forth, the citizens of Zootopia will know where to not make their cross on their ballot card. Some fine party we have there, Cameron!"

Caballus shrugged. "Neither your fault nor mine. But maybe we should focus our attention on ridding our party of everybody thinking along the lines of Bellwether and her cronies."

"You think?" Lionheart snorted again. "Assuming we can find the source of their evil-doing and eradicate it at its core."

"Maybe the Chief and his officers can help."

Bogo looked at Caballus with a frown. "Just what's that supposed to mean, Caballus? And why did you call me your ally?" He folded his massive arms. "I hope you don't expect me to meddle in politics. You know my answer if you do."

Caballus shook his head. "I would never ask you to. I'm simply asking you to do your job."

"Which is? Arrest criminals?"

Lionheart nodded. "That's what we're talking about. We need your help to convince everyone that re-elections are the only smart way to go."

"Hang on a minute! The DA told me you had the necessary votes."

Caballus made a face. "Not exactly."

"Why not?"

"Very simple. Our party, the Democrats, still hold the majority. And until we can take out the trash within our own party, there's no way we can overrule our own party members. And I simply don't know at this stage if I have enough councilmammals of our own party on my side. I managed to convince the leaders of both the Republicans and the Green Party to join forces with me and go for re-elections, still we may very well be short of the mark."

He pointed at Lionheart. "Which is where Leodore comes in. I know for a fact that he'll have the votes, once I'm nominating him as the old and new Mayor. And along with you arresting three more councilmammals from our ranks, the other ones may be rattled enough to fall in line."

"How many votes do you need?"

"Well, let's see. When you arrest Brooks, Hirvi, and Merino, we're down to 45 councilmammals. Add Leodore, makes 46. We need 31 votes for a two-thirds majority which allows us to dissolve the City Council to clear the way for re-elections. The Republicans and the Green Party hold 18 seats, plus the two of us, makes 20. So we need to convince at least eleven members of our own party to fall in line with us." He shrugged. "As you can see, this may be quite a tall order. Or it may be a dead cinch. I just don't know for sure at this stage. So, any help we can get is much appreciated."

Bogo nodded. "Let me guess, the session you summoned, it's public, right?"

Lionheart gave him a grin. "Of course it is. TV cameras and reporters are already here in droves. Cameron even asked the leaders of the protest rally to show the session on the view screens in front of City Hall."

Bogo gave his old friend a smirk. "You've never met a camera you didn't like, eh, Leo?"

Lionheart guffawed. "Sometimes it seems like it, doesn't it?"

Bogo looked at Caballus and became serious again. "So you'll open the session, and I'll come in with my officers to make three very public arrests."

Caballus nodded. "That's the idea, yes. But I would like you to wait until I've managed to get Leodore reinstated. Like I said, should be no problem at all."

"Why?"

"Because it is my belief that he is the right mammal for the job. If I ask for re-elections, everyone might just think that I'm following my very own agenda. But seeing the very mammal who went to prison to protect Zootopia from itself, seeing this very mammal back in office, using said office immediately to give the citizens the chance to vote him out of it again - this should make sure the public's on our side. Which might be very important in the upcoming weeks and months. For if we don't win today, if we can't convince enough of our own Democrats within the City Council that re-elections are a must-do, public pressure might just do the trick."

Lionheart pointed at the stack of papers Bogo held in his hoof. "And if you arrest three more councilmammals under the very eyes of the people, it will come as a shock to everyone involved."

"Which is when he," Caballus pointed at Lionheart, "comes in and delivers one of his infamous speeches, using your arrests as leverage to ask for re-elections to weed out corruption and wrong-doing in the City Council. If we're lucky, this might just be the thing we need."

Bogo looked from one mammal to the other. "Whose idea was this?"

Lionheart pointed at Caballus. "Most of it was his idea."

"But using the public as leverage was yours," Caballus countered.

"Of course! You can't win elections without having the citizens behind you. You need to think strategically, Cameron. Just imagine you're a councilmammal, and all you're interested in is keeping your seat on the City Council. Now, we have a public session, so every citizen of Zootopia can see what's cooking, live and in color. Would you really vote against the citizens who are dying for change? Who are dying to rid the City Council of corruption? Who want nothing but peace, a city under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all? When each and everybody in Zootopia can see what you're doing?"

Caballus nodded. "It might just be your ruin if you do."

"That's the idea, yes." Lionheart looked at Bogo. "So, you're in, or what?"

Bogo shrugged. "All I want is to make three arrests. I honestly don't care when I do them exactly, as long as I'll leave this building with three criminals in tow. If you want me to wait, that's fine with me, as long as I get my shot. So yes, you can count me in."

Lionheart smiled and placed his paw on Bogo's shoulder. "I knew you'd play along."

Bogo took a deep breath. "You know, I'm surprised, Leo."

Lionheart's smile vanished in an instant. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I was the guy who arrested you, still …"

"Oh, come on!" Lionheart snorted. "First of all, I wasn't arrested by you, I was arrested by Officer Hopps. You only put the pawcuffs on me, seeing as she wouldn't have been able to do it. Second, the two of you were perfectly justified to arrest me. I broke the law, plain as that, and I had to bear the consequences. So no, I don't hold it against you. No hard feelings." He offered his paw to Bogo. "Friends?"

Bogo looked at the paw, then he looked at Lionheart's face.

And next thing he knew, the two embraced each other in a way that suspiciously looked like an all-out grapple in a wrestling match.

Which was exactly when the intercom on the desk gave a little beep. "Uh, sir?"

Caballus walked over and pressed a button. "What is it, Marta?"

"I just wanted to inform you that the last councilmammals have arrived. They're all sitting in the Council Chamber, awaiting your arrival."

"Thanks. We're on our way." Caballus looked at both mammals who were slowly disengaging. "You heard her?"

"Of course," Lionheart said. Looking at Bogo, he added: "Ready to change history?"

Bogo shrugged. "You know me, I was born ready."

Lionheart gave him a grin. "Alright, showtime!"

"Wait a minute," Caballus said. "We need to talk about the other topic first."

"Which other topic?" Bogo asked.

Lionheart cleared his throat. "Cameron told me that this fox, uhm, this Mr. Wilde has applied for the ZPA under the Mammal Inclusion Initiative."

"He has. So?"

"He also told me that he was a con-mammal."

Bogo sighed. "That he was."

"With a criminal record?"

"Technically no, but if someone takes a closer look at his extensive personal file, he might come to the conclusion that he's at least guilty of felony tax evasion. The rest of his actions seems to be somewhat shady, but no real reason for concern. He had covered his tracks extraordinarily well."

"Felony tax evasion, eh?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, Hopps told me that she had coerced Wilde into helping her by threatening to arrest him for that exact same reason."

"Which would hinder him from becoming a police officer."

"With certainty. Which is why I have asked Andrew Horner for a pardon already."

"You did?"

"Yes." Bogo made a pause. "Without Mr. Wilde, we wouldn't be standing here."

"Yes, he certainly helped Officer Hopps …"

"That's not what I mean. Without him alerting us of the crimes of Robert Aries, the ram wouldn't be in custody. He was the one who made Officer Fleecewood confess to his crimes, in turn alerting us of the involvement of councilmammals Brooks, Hirvi, and Merino. He managed to do what even Major Mastiff wasn't able to, and the Major is without the shadow of a doubt the finest investigator, the finest interrogator, the ZPD has at this very moment. He was the one identifying the son of Tilda Swinton as the culprit behind the savage murder of a young, innocent lynx girl. Wilde did all this without proper training, just by using his street smarts, his vast knowledge of Zootopia and its citizens, and his intuition. He's spent most of his life on the dark side of Zootopia, which gives him a knowledge most officers sorely lack. Using this to our advantage - he could become one of our greatest assets."

"Assuming, of course, he passes the Academy."

"I'm convinced of it. And when he does, he could become an outstanding police officer."

Lionheart nodded, visibly impressed. "That's certainly high praise, coming from you, Adrian."

Bogo shrugged. "I'm merely stating the facts. And for the record, Major Mastiff agrees with me."

"Will the ZPA accept him?"

"Probably yes. I have no real saying in this matter, but I know several instructors at the ZPA on a personal basis. Besides, I'm the Chief of Precinct One, so my word carries some weight. Plus, Mastiff's on first name terms with virtually every instructor, so he may very well be even more influential. And the two of us want to see Wilde join Precinct One."

"So it all hinges on him receiving a pardon?"

"It does."

Caballus snorted while starting to walk towards the huge office door. The other two mammals followed him. "Felony tax evasion? I can probably pay his tax debt out of my petty cash deposit." Upon seeing Bogo look at him, he shrugged. "I'm a billionaire after all."

"You would do that?"

"If it would make sure he can become a police officer, I would."

"Which would make a pardon …"

"No, no, no," Lionheart said as they entered the outer office. "Let's make it foolproof. Let's give him the pardon he deserves."

Caballus nodded. "Plus I'll pay his tax debt. That should cover all our bases."

"Not all of them." Lionheart made a pause. "There still seem to be quite a lot of what-ifs involved. A pardon is useless if the ZPA doesn't accept him."

Bogo grunted. "Yes, but do you want to force their hooves and paws?"

To Bogo's surprise, Lionheart grinned while following Caballus out of the outer office. The five police officers waiting outside stood at attention immediately. Out of the corner of an eye, Bogo saw that Higgins's eyes widened upon seeing the lion, who said: "I do, actually."

"How?"

"Where are they right now?"

"Who?"

"Officer Hopps and Mr. Wilde."

Bogo made a frown. "I have no idea. At home, I …"

"No, they're not, sir," someone said. Bogo turned around to look at the mammal who had said these words. Officer Pennington looked down at him, grabbing her trunk with both hooves in obvious embarrassment at having interrupted her superior. "I'm sorry, sir!"

Bogo allowed himself a curt nod. "At ease, Pennington. It's alright. What did you just say?"

"Uhm, I saw them today. Twice actually, once on my way to work, once as we were entering this building, sir. They are among the mammals protesting in front of City Hall."

"Not at home?" Bogo rolled his eyes. After he had specifically ordered Hopps to stay at home, she was rambling about the city. _When will this bunny ever learn to listen and follow orders?_

"No, obviously not. Nick, ehm, Mr. Wilde was pushing Officer Hopps around."

"Pushing her around?"

"Yes. She was sitting in a wheelchair. Quite a big one actually, considering her size."

"Could you fetch them?" Lionheart asked.

Pennington nodded. "Of course, sir."

Bogo raised an eyebrow. "You're sure you can find a tiny rabbit and an only slightly taller fox among the tens of thousands of mammals?"

To his surprise, Pennington grinned. "Do you expect more than one rabbit sitting in a wolf-sized wheelchair being there, particularly one being pushed around by a red fox? I already spotted them twice, I'll be able to spot them again with ease."

"Then do it," Lionheart said. "Please find the two of them and ask them to come here as they are."

Pennington looked at Bogo, who nodded. Flashing a salute, the elephant turned around and left the lobby with huge strides.

Bogo looked at Lionheart. "Just why do you want them to come here?"

"The plan's really simple. This is what we're going to do. …"

* * *

 **And the plan is … revealed in the next chapter! Yeah, I know, I'm mean!**

 **I've been looking at the corresponding scene within the movie several times, but all I can see in the Mayor's office while Bellwether was in charge was the desk they were sitting at, plus several plants. There was absolutely nothing there in terms of furniture, pictures, or some such nonsense. Maybe there is, but I didn't see it.**

 **I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but I'm very interested in politics (although I cannot say I like politicians all that much), which is why I spent a lot of time getting all the political intricacies of this chapter in order. In case you disagree with some of the concepts I developed in here, feel free to tell me! You know where to find me! (And yes, I even made a rough outline telling me just how many seats which party holds. For the record: After a landslide victory with 62 percent of the votes, the Democrats hold 32 seats. The Republicans managed to win 27 percent of the votes, so they hold 14 seats. And the 9 percent of the votes the Green Party managed to gain mean that they hold four seats. The remaining 2 percent of the votes were wasted on minor parties that, obviously, didn't clear the 5-percent-clause. Add it up, it makes 50 seats.)**

 **Today's task: Find the character from the Mass Effect series. Shouldn't be too hard …**

 **And yeah, I couldn't help messing with the Pledge of Allegiance! If this offends you, hey, I'm German - the Pledge of Allegiance means nothing to me. (That's not ignorance, it's just a fact. Or do you particularly cherish "Das Lied der Deutschen," our national anthem?) Besides, like Oscar Wilde once said: "I can resist everything except temptation."**

 **Thanks for reading, and, please, send me your reviews in droves!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	12. Chapter Twelve - Old-Fashioned Gun Law

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Sometimes I really don't like myself all that much!**

 **How comes that I seem to be unable to finish this blasted story?**

 **Joking aside, I started writing this chapter, trying my hardest to bring closure, to finish the main plot, to be able to do the epilogue and be done with this story.**

 **And what I did was cram so much into this chapter, it became too big.**

 **Same old, same old! Happens to me all the time!**

 **So no, there is no closure! No, the council session to end all council sessions (uhm, not really) will not happen in this chapter. Simply because I remembered a) a short snippet from "Hammer to Fall" I need to deal with in here, and b) another topic alluded to in previous chapters which I thought was worth pursuing.**

 **I wish I could stop listening to myself and my goddamn spontaneous ideas!**

 **Be that as it may, a quick look at the stats: This story was viewed more than 10,400 times, received 126 reviews, has 60 favorites, and 94 alerts. To be honest, it's quite surprising to me that the numbers are that high. Yes, I seem to have gotten myself quite a dedicated fan base, yet I keep disappointing my readers over and over again! A long hiatus, a story that started out as a one-off, only to turn into a lengthy novel which is far from being complete …**

 **Really surprising that so many of you still bear with me. Thanks for that!**

 **And thanks in particular to these dedicated mammals for enriching my life through their reviews: Story. Writer. 2015, Dirtkid123, Archangel12575, Combat Engineer, LupinTheWolf, AlbineFox, Galaxyexplorer74, Robert Escher, DrummerMax64, Foxlover91, HawkTooth, and Rylovix.**

 **Combat Engineer needed no time at all to find the hidden character in the last chapter: The person in question was, of course, Maya Brooks aka Captain Channing aka Hope Lilium aka Rasa, who plays a prominent role in the "Citadel DLC" of Mass Effect 3. Kudos to you, Combat Engineer - victory is yours! Probably way too easy for you, this one …**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Twelve

 **Old-Fashioned Gun Law**

 _So I got my handgun and I blew him away. That critter was a bad guy, I had to make him pay._

Queen: "Put Out the Fire" (Written by Brian May, from the album "Hot Space," EMI Elektra, 1982)

* * *

 **Austin J. Robin Plaza, In Front of City Hall, City Center, Zootopia**

"I got another one!" Nick was in his element. "What's yellow and can't swim?"

"A lemon?" The female leopard cub standing next to Nick eyed him with an eager expression on her face. Her mother, exceptionally tall even for a leopardess, looked down at her cub, smiling.

"No, a tennis ball!" said a pig while filling Judy's mug with more carrot juice.

"I don't think so," Judy said with a nod towards the pig. "Thanks again. No, a tennis ball can swim."

"It can _float_ ," an ocelot countered. "Swimming is something else entirely. Or do you consider a 'dead mammal float' swimming?"

Judy rolled her eyes. "I'm still pretty sure that ain't it." She looked at Nick expectantly.

Nick shook his head. "Another guess? Anyone?" Upon seeing that everyone around them shook his or her head, he said with a grin: "An excavator."

Loud laughter erupted all around them. Even Judy couldn't help grinning while sipping her juice.

Less than 24 hours ago, she wouldn't have imagined being here, among thousands of other mammals. When her brother Billy had suggested joining the protestors camped out in front of City Hall, she had flatly refused his notion. Much to her chagrin, he had simply ignored her and taken her with him. And there had been nothing she could have done about it. Her injured leg meant she was unable to walk without crutches, so escaping her predicament was out of the question.

A predicament which had presented her with the biggest surprise of her life.

After the disastrous first press conference, she had been convinced that most mammals she would come across would treat her with scorn. Particularly after meeting the parents of the late lynx girl, she was under no misconception: She was, in all probability, one of the most hated mammals in all of Zootopia. Being pushed around by Billy in an oversized wheelchair with an ever-growing sense of impending doom, she had braced herself to be vilified, to be verbally abused, maybe even to be attacked.

She would never have guessed, not in a million years, that she would be treated with respect and cordiality.

Sure, some of the mammals present at the protest had treated her with superior disdain, but the vast majority of mammals she had come across had shown no resentment whatsoever, to the contrary. After little more than half an hour, she had been offered cookies, vegetables, a plate of hot veggie soup, cups of coffee and tea and similar things. She had received countless pats on her shoulders, hundreds of get-well wishes and words of encouragement. On top of that, she had been presented with no less than four invitations for a private dinner, and a buck, obviously quite well-off and not exactly bad-looking, had shamelessly tried to woo her. Not that she was eager to date any buck, well-off or otherwise, any time soon, not with her job being Priority Number One. To her surprise, he had taken her polite refusal in stride. Perhaps, Billy had mused, the buck had thought that she would be way out of his league anyway.

Which had brought him a swift punch to the upper arm.

Nobody she had spoken to had held the first press conference against her. "You've been thrown into the proverbial pool of sharks," an elderly porcupine had told her. "No way you were able to get out of this unscathed."

That had been the general consensus among those she had spoken to. While some had blamed her inexperience in dealing with public speeches and the press, most had stated that she had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time, with no real chance to do the right thing, to find the right words to prevent the damage she had caused. And her second press conference had been called magnificent by most mammals, "a masterpiece," as the porcupine had stated.

And since she and Nick had solved the Savage Predators case, she was generally lauded as a hero.

She had enjoyed herself so much, when Nick had visited her this morning, she had suggested going back to the protest rally. And he had agreed on the spot. No surprise there - when he had gone there the day before, it had probably been, Judy thought, the first time in years, if not in his entire life, that he had been treated with respect and even admiration for solving the Savage Predators case together with her. And he had obviously enjoyed the situation, the attention of everyone around, to the fullest.

On top of that, he had an audience listening with rapt attention to his lame attempts at jokes and puns.

"And you know why it can't swim?" he asked.

"No idea," the pig said, putting the bottle of carrot juice back into his rucksack, one of several bottles he had brought with him. He had been very generous in offering some of it to all mammals around, and almost everybody had accepted, with the exception of Nick, who had stated that he didn't like the taste of carrots all that much. "Could it be because it's too heavy?" he added with a grin.

"No, it can't swim because it only has one arm."

Now even Judy, who had heard similar jokes countless times, couldn't help laughing out loud.

Nick looked at her with a grin, obviously pleased that his qualities as an entertainer were so well received. "Got another one: What's white and disrupts breakfast?"

Unfortunately for him, she had heard that one before. "An avalanche."

Yet again, they were surrounded by loud laughter. The group of mammals around them couldn't have been more diverse. Predators and prey standing together, side by side, in peace and harmony, enjoying bad puns and silly jokes.

It was as if past events, the solving of the Savage Predators case, had done away with a lot of prejudices and outright hostility.

Judy wasn't that naïve, not anymore; it wouldn't last, it _couldn't_ last, not in the long run.

But right here, right now, the world was at peace.

And she was at peace with the world.

"Oh, you knew that one?" Nick gave her a smirk. "And what's black and sits on a tree?"

"No idea. A blackbird?"

"No. A voyeur after a forest fire."

Amid peals of laughter, Judy managed to say: "Watch your tongue! There are children around!"

Nick was undeterred. "And what's red and sits under a tree?"

Before Judy was able to try and guess what he could mean, she heard a rather high-pitched voice: "That's his buddy - he's still smoldering." This time, the laughter around them was absolutely uproarious. Turning around, she looked at the leopard cub in amazement. Meanwhile, the leopardess had put her paw over her eyes in obvious embarrassment.

Nick let out a guffaw. "A mammal after my own heart!" He walked over and took the cub in an embrace. Despite being so much younger, the cub was almost as tall as he was, and visibly flustered after this very public display of affection.

Fortunately for her, another new arrival caught everyone's attention. This one was an elephant, a female one, wearing a police uniform. With her enormous size, she was parting the throng around them with ease.

Nick had seen her coming and greeted her with a smile. "Well, I'll be darned! If that isn't the one and only Trunks!"

Francine Pennington returned the smile. "Hello, you two."

"Francine?" Judy looked up at her, craning her neck. "What are you doing here?"

Pennington knelt down, which didn't make much of a difference - she was still towering over the two of them. "I was ordered to find you and take you with me."

"Well, you found us," Nick said with a grin. "Speaking of which, how did you do it? It's not that we stand out, and there are at least, oh, I don't know, fifty-thousand mammals here."

"Eighty-five thousand, according to the guys organizing this" Pennington corrected him. "But just how many foxes are here, pushing a wheelchair with a rabbit sitting in around? Finding you was easy. You _do_ stand out, sort of."

"And when you wanna find someone, being so tall certainly helps," the pig said. "Carrot juice?"

Pennington shook her massive head. "You could say that. And no, I'm good, thanks." She looked around. "Found new friends?"

Judy groaned and pointed at Nick. "You have no idea. He's been, ahem, 'entertaining' them with lame puns." She emphasized her words by doing air quotes.

"Ah. What do a choirmaster and a condom have in common?"

Judy groaned again. "For realsies?"

Nick paused, then he gave Pennington a smile. "I actually have no idea. Never heard that one before."

"Really? It's sooo old." Judy shook her head.

Pennington looked at her. "You know it?"

"Yes, but I'm not saying it! There are kits and cubs around!"

"So what?" Nick said, pointing at the leopard cub. "She goes to Elementary School, so she probably knows more lewd jokes than the three of us combined." He looked at the cub, who beamed at him, while the leopardess looked down, closed her eyes and shook her head, obviously wishing herself to be in a very different place. "Do you know it?" he asked the cub.

She nodded. "It's safer to have one, but it's more fun without."

Everybody erupted, once again, into laughter. "Bingo!" Pennington said, showing the girl the thumbs-up. Once the laughter had died down, she looked around. "Nice little party you have found yourselves here."

Nick nodded. "It's peaceful, yes. Makes for a nice change."

"Yes, but for how long?" another voice said. Everybody turned around to see a tall and rather muscular lion approaching them. He was dressed entirely in black, which looked strangely out of place amidst all the mammals wearing the brightest of colors, befitting the fine weather.

Pennington groaned. "Freddie, why do you always have to be such a wet blanket?"

Frederick Delgato shrugged. "Loss of job tends to do that to a mammal."

Judy felt embarrassed in an instant. Yet another one of the countless victims of the catastrophe called press conference. "Hi, Delgato."

Delgato nodded. "Hopps." His voice was flat, void of emotions. If he was harboring a grudge against Judy, he managed to not let it show.

Hopps fidgeted in her wheelchair. "What did you mean, when …"

With a sigh, Delgato sat down on the floor, tailor-fashion. "For the last couple of weeks, Hopps, the City Council has done nothing to improve the lives of predators, while granting prey all the improvements in the world. If they don't change this, and soon, law enforcement has a real problem on its paws."

With a chilling suddenness, the cheerful atmosphere around them evaporated completely.

"Wait a second!" the ocelot said. "Nobody of us is going to riot."

Delgato visibly sized the ocelot up. "I wasn't judging you; I'm in no position to do it, after all. You just stand here, peacefully, among other peaceful protestors, two of which are police officers. So it's safe to assume that all you want is fair treatment of predators, and like most mammals here, you want to fight for this in a peaceful, non-threatening way. Problem is, there are predators who think differently."

Nick looked at Judy first, then he turned towards Delgato. "What do you mean?"

Delgato looked over his shoulder towards an alley leading away from the plaza. "Yesterday evening, we were down there, me, Fangmeyer, and Grizzoli. We had met here and had spent most of the day here, when Grizzoli thought he had seen several young predators, one tiger, one jaguar, and one black panther, loitering about near the stage, acting suspiciously. They walked over to that alley over there, so we followed." He sighed again. "And found out that they were carrying heat. The tiger was packing a Smith & Weaselon Model 629, a gun firing .44 magnum bullets, while the black panther was armed with a MAC-10 machine pistol with .45 ACP bullets inside."

"Wait a minute," the leopardess said. "Aren't firearms illegal?"

Delgato snorted. "They are, but only in theory. You can still get them, if you know where to look."

Pennington nodded. "The internet, or rather the darknet, is full of websites where you can probably find everything your greedy or violent heart desires."

"Getting illegal weapons really is like shooting fish in a barrel." Delgato made a pause. "And of all the possible idioms I could have chosen, this probably was the most ill-fitting one." This time, nobody laughed.

"How did you manage to overcome them, if they had weapons and you hadn't?" the pig asked.

"It wasn't that difficult actually. Since weapons are illegal, so is weapon training. These schmucks simply had no idea how to properly use them, so before they were able to wield them against us, Grizzoli and Fangmeyer had them subdued. The jaguar was a much bigger problem, despite packing nothing but his paws. Some idiot had taught him martial arts, so he really knew how to put said paws to good use. Fortunately, I know some martial arts as well."

"Don't be so modest," Pennington said. To the other mammals around her, she added: "He has a black belt in judo, third dan."

Nick nodded, obviously impressed. "Not bad. What did you do to him?"

Delgato shrugged. "Let's just say he found out the hard way that when you can't breathe, you can't fight. _Sankaku-jime_ , the Triangle Choke Hold. Can be brutally effective."

"What did Chief Horny say?"

"Chief Horny?" Delgato chuckled. "That's a new one. He actually was quite happy when we entered Precinct one, three unconscious mammals in tow."

"Happy? Really? I was under the impression he dislikes vigilantism."

"He does, and rightly so. But, if not for the stupid City Council, I would still be a cop. I've done nothing wrong. It's not my fault that I cannot uphold the law wearing a uniform anymore. But I still do it. And Bogo is okay with it." He cleared his throat. "Are you aware of the fact that right now, as we speak, there are more than 50 cops here, undercover in plain clothes, making sure that no riot can break out?"

Judy looked around, surprised. Nick, on the other paw, merely nodded. "Like that rhino over there?" He pointed at a mammal standing to the side, some twenty feet to the side of their position.

Delgato looked at the mammal, too, with surprise on his features. "How do you know?"

Nick shrugged. "Let's just say I recognize a cop when I see one."

Delgato looked him over. "Right, you're the fox who helped Hopps. The name's Wilde, right?" Nick nodded. Delgato continued: "I see now what Bogo meant. He called you somebody who knows the other side exceptionally well. I assume you dwelt on the other side, right?"

Nick raised his eyebrows at the lion's peculiar choice of words. He obviously didn't want to call him a con-mammal into his face in public. "I did."

Delgato smiled. "And want to become a cop. Which makes you an okay guy in my book. I don't care what you did. I care what you're about to do."

Nick returned the smile. "Thanks." The smile vanished almost instantly. "Do you know what these armed guys were about to do?"

Delgato sighed yet again. "If I understand it correctly, they were waiting for a councilmammal to come out so they could gun him or her down."

"WHAT?" Judy, Nick, Pennington, and several other mammals shouted.

"Yup. But then Swinton came out merely to announce her resignation. And they decided to not shoot her, to not make a martyr out of her."

"Wait a second!" the pig said. "How could killing a councilmammal help us here?"

"It wouldn't, to the contrary. And that's the crux of the matter. The moment some morons gun down a politician, that's the moment when the other politicians call for strict security measures. Every security force in existence would be ordered to take down the violent protests by force, regardless of the fact that there only were a pawful of idiots, while the vast majority only wanted peace. Or why do you think there are so many police officers here? We need to prevent riots, we need to find those idiots and stop them before the situation gets out of paw. The alternative is a strict curfew, and nobody wants that. You'd basically shut the whole city down completely."

"That's why Bogo asked you to continue doing what you did, right?" Pennington asked.

"Exactly. I may not be on the ZPD's payroll anymore, but I swore an oath to protect this city, even from itself, if need arises. Maybe this'll help the City Council see the need to re-instate the predator police officers."

"Maybe I have good news on that front," Pennington said, standing up again. "There will be an extraordinary session of the City Council soon. Which is sort of why I'm here. I was ordered to find these two," she pointed at Nick and Judy, "and take them with me. Don't know why, but I'm probably about to find out."

"And you think they're going to address these issues at this session?"

She shrugged. "No idea actually, Freddie, but given the fact that Caballus, our new Acting Mayor, has brought reinforcements, I reckon he wants to cause some major ruckus."

"Reinforcements? What do you mean?"

"He pardoned Lionheart."

Again, every mammal around them shouted "WHAT?"

"Lionheart?" the ocelot asked. "Thought he was in the pen."

"Well, not anymore, obviously. It seems that Caballus sprung him."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"I could be mistaken, but I think Caballus wants to reinstate Lionheart as the Mayor."

Delgato nodded in obvious approval. "At this stage, this is about the smartest thing you can do. Lionheart always was hugely popular, and now that Bellwether's schemes have been revealed, a lot of mammals in Zootopia remember how good they had it when Lionheart was Mayor. I cannot think of any other councilmammal who could bring peace to this city and reunite its citizens."

"You're probably right," Nick said before looking at Pennington. "I fail to see, however, where the two of us come in."

"Like I said, I have no idea why I was ordered to fetch you," Pennington said. "But orders are orders. I'm awfully sorry to interrupt this little party, I really am, but we need to go now."

"Where to?" Nick asked.

"City Hall."

"Excuse me?" Judy said.

"Chief Bogo's at City Hall. We all are, well, all officers Precinct One can spare."

"Why?"

Pennington grinned. "As far as I know, we are about to make some very public arrests."

Nick nodded. "Let me guess, Merino, Hirvi, and Brooks, right?"

"Of course. We found enough evidence to arrest them for being in cahoots with Bellwether."

"Wow!" the ocelot exclaimed. "That's, wait, that's six councilmammals arrested."

"Five, if Lionheart was released," Nick said.

"Plus one who resigned," the leopardess added.

"Boy oh boy, the Council sure is in tatters," the pig said, shaking his head.

"Exactly," Nick said. "Which is why I guess Caballus wants to have re-elections."

"Are you sure?" the pig asked.

"Are there any alternatives, Jeffrey? I see none."

Delgato snorted. "Maybe so, still I'm not sure he'll be able to pull that one off. But if he can, I can't wait to see it happen."

"Maybe we will." Pennington looked down at Nick and Judy. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way," Nick said, looking around. "We'll be seeing each other, I guess."

"Don't forget to stop by," the pig said. "I offer discounts for law enforcement officers."

Judy emptied her mug and handed it over to the pig. "That's very nice, thank you very much. This was delicious!"

"You don't happen to have blueberry juice, too?" Nick asked.

"Of course I have!"

Nick rubbed his paws. "Splendid. We _will_ be seeing each other, and quite often at that, I guess." At Pennington's gaze, he added. "Jeffrey here runs a juice shop just around the corner, on Second."

"I know", Pennington said. "Jeffrey's Juice Joint. Best juice in all of Zootopia. Most cops are regulars there."

"So it's not all just donuts with you," Nick said with a grin.

"Donuts?" Delgato chuckled. "Too sweet for me. Most guys actually don't like 'em all that much, except Clawhauser. By the way," he looked at Pennington, "how's the old blubberbutt?"

Pennington shrugged. "Mostly bored out of his skull. Being down at Records isn't exactly thrilling."

"Say hello to the guys from me, will you?"

"Of course! So, let's get crackin'!"

Saying their farewells, Pennington walked ahead, with Nick pushing the wheelchair with Judy in it after her. Again, Pennington parted the throng with ease, so all Nick had to do was keep up. Which wasn't an easy task, given how large the wheelchair was.

"I never got around to ask you so far, but how on earth did you manage to get this infernal contraption?" he asked while following Pennington.

"It's great, isn't it?" Judy beamed at him. "Billy got it for me. Half a year ago, he had an internship at Zootopia General, at their lab, and he still has friends there. When he asked them if he could get a wheelchair, they had this one for him. It's wolf-sized, granted, but better than being forced to sit in my room doing nothing. And when I'm able to walk again, all I need to do is return it to them, no questions asked."

Nick nodded. "Speaking of Billy, where is he?"

"Oh, he's attending a lecture at Zoo U."

"He'd going to university?"

"Yes. He wants to take a doctoral degree."

"In biochemistry."

"Of course."

"He lives here?"

"Most of the time."

"Ah. And I thought all bunnies would eschew the big city."

Judy smiled. "Most do, yes. But Billy isn't like your ordinary bunny."

"Neither are you."

Judy chuckled. "Looks like it, eh? Yup, we are the bunny trailblazers, Billy and me."

During her last words, a murmur had begun all around them. The ears of both mammals rose, twisting towards the sound. "What's going on?" Judy asked.

"The view screens just lit up, no idea why," Pennington said over her shoulder.

"Oh!" Nick looked down at Judy again. "Are they going to show the Council session here?"

"Maybe."

Nick grinned. "At least we don't get to listen to yet another boring speech by our one and only Gazelle."

Judy reached up to sock him in the arm. "Don't you dare …"

"Gee, Carrots, what's it with you and all the punching?" He rubbed his arm for emphasize. The punch hadn't exactly been painful, but over the course of the last few days, she had punched him in the exact same spot no less than twenty-three times - he had kept count -, and he started feeling a bruise forming. _Well, maybe, given a few more months, I'll develop a nice, clean callus …_ "Okay, I get it, no belittling Gazelle in your presence, Fluff."

"That's more like it."

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

Chief Bogo was perusing two pieces of paper in his hoof that Higgins had fetched for him from Precinct One HQ. "That seems to be in order," he said with a nod, handing the pieces of paper to Lionheart. "Good work, Higgins."

"Thank you, sir," the hippo replied.

Lionheart looked at the papers, too. Caballus was looking over his shoulder. "Judith Laverne Hopps? Who on earth calls their daughter Laverne?"

Higgins shrugged. "There are worse names. Thomas Amadeus Higgins, for example. Or Frederick Cesar Delgato. Or James Bartholomew Fangmeyer. Precinct One's full of them."

"And we're going to add an even stranger one. Nicholas Piberius Wilde … what a name!" Lionheart was chuckling.

Bogo gave his old friend a rather mischievous grin. "Could you please jog my memory, what was your middle name again?"

"You know perfectly well what my middle name is, AJ," Lionheart grumbled.

Bogo was just about to open his mouth to announce Lionheart's middle name to the world, when someone cleared their throat - someone tiny. He looked down to see the personal secretary of Caballus, Marta Aperea. Despite his bad eyesight, even Bogo was able to make out that she looked quite impatient. "You need to get a move on," she said. "The first councilmammals have already asked me why there's a holdup, and I'm rapidly running out of good answers."

Caballus nodded. "We're all set now, just needed to wait for these papers." He looked at Lionheart. "Like you always say, Leodore, showtime!"

"Indeed." Both mammals walked away together, towards the huge double doors leading to the Council Chamber.

Bogo was still looking at the now closed door when Pennington arrived, with two much smaller mammals in tow. He greeted her with a nod while looking down at Hopps and Wilde. "Any troubles finding them?"

"No, sir. They were exactly where I expected them to be." Pennington smiled. "By the way, Freddie Delgato sends his regards."

"He's still doing his job?"

"Of course he is, you know him, sir."

Bogo nodded. "Good. Although I never thought I had to ask a suspended cop to help uphold the law."

"Crazy times, these," Wilde said deadpan. "Good morning, Chief."

"You could say that, Wilde. Crazy times indeed. Good morning to the two of you."

"Good morning, Chief," Hopps said before adding: "Uhm, just what do you want from us?"

Bogo gave her a rather perfunctory smile. "Relax, Hopps. I don't ask you to do anything. I wanted to have the two of you present for this momentous occasion."

"So it's true," Wilde said. "Lionheart's returned, and the City Council awaits demolishing."

Bogo nodded. "Officer Pennington told you?"

"I did," Pennington said. "Or was it a secret?"

Bogo shook his head. "It wasn't, not that I'm aware of. In ten minutes, all of Zootopia will know that Lionheart's back. So a few minutes of head start won't be much of a problem." He looked at Wilde. "And yes, you're quite right, Wilde. Caballus has devised a scheme to rid us of this corrupt Council once and for all."

"Those are not the words I would use, Chief." Wilde gave him a smirk which was bordering on impertinent.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a scheme. You know, when the bad guys scheme, it's called a scheme. When the good guys scheme, it's called strategy."

Even Bogo couldn't hide his grin at that, while Hopps chuckled. "Assuming, of course, it is the good guys who're scheming, Nick." She made a deliberate pause before adding: "Oh, sorry, I meant to say, who're, ahem, _developing a strategy_."

"That goes without saying, Carrots."

Bogo cleared his throat and became serious again. "May I talk to you in private for a minute, Wilde?"

Wilde made a frown. "Of course, Chief."

Bogo led the way towards an unoccupied spot in the lobby, well out of earshot of even the most attentive bunny ears. Before Bogo was able to say something, Wilde said silently: "This is about my application, right?"

"It is."

"Is there a problem with it?"

Bogo shrugged. "There are _several_ problems with it, as you know very well. One will be dealt with in a few minutes, but there are a few more speed bumps along the way."

Wilde closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm going to be pardoned."

Bogo nodded. "A full pardon. And Caballus even offered to pay your outstanding tax debts."

"Really?"

"Yes. They thought that after what you did for Zootopia, you deserve it." He made a pause. "And for the record, I agree with them."

"Thank you, Chief. And please remind me to thank them."

"You will have enough opportunity to do so, don't worry. Now, the other speed bumps. When reading your file, I couldn't help noticing that you neither have a high school diploma nor a driving license."

Wilde's smile vanished. "Is that a problem?"

"It is. You need both to become a police officer."

"Shit!" Wilde was visibly upset about that fact.

"You really are intent on becoming a police officer?"

"I am, sir, I very much am."

"One hundred percent?"

"One hundred percent."

"You know what you're getting yourself into?"

Wilde shrugged. "Probably not to the full extent, but I guess I have a pretty good idea."

"A good idea may not be enough. I'm under the impression, for example, that you have a certain disregard for rules."

"I … may have that, yes."

Bogo leaned forward, fixing his stare on Wilde. "Well, rules are usually there for a reason, and a good reason at that. The ZPD's certainly no exception. We have a lot of rules, and they're not flexible. Nor am I. Either obey them or you're history. Is that clear?"

Wilde hesitated, then he looked Bogo into the eyes and nodded. "Crystal, sir."

Bogo nodded. "That's what I wanted to hear. Still, even with all your dedication to the cause, you need to be aware of the fact that you will have a huge mountain to climb."

"I will climb it, sir, no matter how high it is."

Bogo allowed himself a smile. "Commitment. I like that. Now, getting a driving license is easy. Leodore Lionheart told me of one of his neighbors, a former racing driver who runs a driving school today, among other business ventures."

"You don't happen to be talking about Dale Elkhardt, sir, do you?"

"I am, actually. So you heard of him?"

"Who hasn't?"

"Leodore is sure he can teach you how to drive."

"That's great, but he doesn't need to teach me, sir. I know how to drive a car." Upon Bogo's look, Wilde shrugged. "I merely don't have a driving license, but you don't need one to learn to drive."

Bogo hesitated, then he shrugged himself. "Whatever. You'll receive a pardon, that should take care of that. But even if you can drive, can you drive fast? And safely at that?"

"Well, probably not as fast as The Intimidator, but what's so difficult about driving fast? You just put the pedal to the metal."

Bogo snorted. "And quickly find yourself running, one, out of talent, and two, out of road. Driving fast without wrecking your car and killing yourself in the process is tough, and it's something the instructors at the ZPA take very seriously. If you can't drive in a fast and safe way, it's unlikely you make it to the ZPD. Maybe you'll pass your training, but let it be known to you that to make it to Precinct One, and I assume you want that, you need to be among the Top Five in your class. Failing the driving test will make that impossible."

Wilde nodded. "So Elkhardt will teach me to drive good enough to make it into your precinct?"

"If Leodore is to be believed, he is."

"Good."

"Now, about the high school diploma." Bogo made a pause. "First, you need to enroll at an Adult Education Center, where you can get the diploma. I can take care of that for you, if you like. I know one of the teachers there, and he may be able to help you in a speedy fashion."

"That would be much appreciated, Chief."

"I will see to it then. Now, the problem is the time frame. You're intelligent enough to get the diploma with ease, but you have _less than three months_ to do it."

"Ouch!" Wilde said. "In other words, there's a huge workload in my immediate future."

"That's an understatement. You need to work your ass off here, Wilde. Expect long days of studying and few hours of sleep."

"Oh, I will work my ass off, sir! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me!"

"That's the spirit! Still, you'll probably need all the help you can get. Fortunately, Leodore thought he could help you there. The wife of Dale Elkhardt. Brenda, she's a high school teacher. Leodore thinks she may be able to help you learn what you need to know."

"That would be great."

Bogo nodded, straightening himself again. "The rest is up to you, of course."

"Thank you, sir." Wilde hesitated. "There's one more thing, Chief."

"Which is?"

"Well, the ZPA, sir. I know that Major Mastiff said he wanted to make sure they'll accept my application, but …"

Bogo gave him a grin. "Oh, I think _that_ won't be much of a problem."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"All in its proper time. Now, is there anything else?"

Wilde thought about this for a moment. "Nothing comes to mind."

"Good. Let's not keep your soon-to-be workmates waiting, shall we?"

Wilde chuckled. "I actually like that."

They returned to the police officers still waiting in the middle of the lobby. Upon hearing a rather tinny voice, Bogo looked around, only to find that Higgins had brought a tablet computer with him, which was now showing the interior of the Council Chamber. "ZNN broadcasts the event live, Chief. Thought you wanted to see this."

Bogo nodded. "Don't we all?"

* * *

 **Yup, don't we all? Don't worry, next chapter, the City Council is in session!**

 **I don't have a middle name, by the way. Neither has my wife. These are not as common around here as they are in America.**

 **Isn't it crazy? No matter how many jokes you may know, one day someone invariably comes along and tells you one you haven't heard before, while everyone else around you just rolls their eyes upon hearing such an old pun. I know oodles of jokes, yet I learn a new one every day.**

 **As a bonus, my wife's most favorite joke:**

 **What's a man in a barrel full of hydrochloric acid?**

 **\- A problem solved!**

 **And yes, we are happily married! That's just how we roll! ;-)**

 **One of my favorite ones?**

 **What's red and smells like blue paint?**

 **\- Red paint! (Thanks, Kari Byron, for giving me that gem!)**

 **On a less bright note, the possible riot prevented by the undercover cops, well, that is me taking a page out of history books - AGAIN! Back in 1989, months before the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was about to be re-united, the so-called "Montagsdemonstrationen (Monday Demonstrations) had slowly, but surely, spread over all of East Germany. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up! I was just turning 18 around that time, and the events had me glued to the TV screen or radio. Fascinating stuff!) The thing most people in West Germany, where I was born and living, feared was the outbreak of riots. And while the East German security forces did arrest several protestors, even resorting to using force to do it, on the whole, nothing much happened. The political leaders, overwhelmed by the sheer number of protestors, shied away from using excessive force under the eye of the other nations watching the proceedings, and the protestors themselves, they wanted a revolution, but they wanted it to be peaceful. "Keine Gewalt!" (No Violence!) was one of the slogans they shouted back then, along with the famous "Wir sind das Volk!" (We are the people!) chant.**

 **The fall of the Berlin Wall and the German re-unification are one of the rare examples in history of the people overthrowing an oppressive government through peaceful means. Off the top of my head, I cannot remember any revolution, apart from the aforementioned one, to be entirely peaceful, with no riots, no injuries, no criminal damage to property whatsoever. Maybe there was another one, but if there was, I never heard of it. If there was one, please tell me! This is a very interesting topic, and I like to know as much about it as humanly possible.**

 **The mammal named Dale Elkhardt is, of course, a bow towards "No. 3," Dale Earnhardt, The Intimidator, The Man in Black, winner of no less than seven NASCAR Winston Cup trophies. I still remember where I was when I heard of his untimely death. February 18, 2001 has to be regarded as one of the blackest day in motorsports history, along with the "Black Weekend" at Imola from April 29 to May 1, 1994, when Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna died. Since I admired Earnhardt till the cows come home, I took the liberty of letting him reach his retirement age in perfect health. May God rest his soul! And those of Ayrton Senna, Roland Ratzenberger and all other sports performers who died much too early.**

 **Brenda Gee was the second wife of Dale Earnhardt and mother of Dale Earnhardt Jr., hence the name of the high school teacher.**

 **Oh, and by the way, the sentence said by Nick about scheming and strategy was given to me by my faithful reader and reviewer Robert Escher, and he even permitted me to make use of it in this chapter. Many thanks for that, Robert! (The original quote given by him was: "When the good guys scheme I believe it is called 'strategy'.")**

 **There's a quote hidden in this chapter, taken from the movie "Top Gun." I guess you won't have many problems finding it.**

 **Thanks for reading, and, as usual, reviews are very much appreciated!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	13. Chapter Thirteen - Dangerous Mammals

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 ** _"_** ** _I know that I'm a prisoner to all my father held so dear,_**

 ** _I know that I'm a hostage to all his hopes and fears._**

 ** _I just wish I could have told him in the living years."_**

 ** _(Mike and the Mechanics: "The Living Years," written by Mike Rutherford and B. A. Robertson, from the album "Living Years," Atlantic/WEA, 1988)_**

 **No, this is not an apology for yet another massive delay in publication. I don't want to apologize, because I have the feeling I don't need to.**

 **A few months ago, after almost half a year of struggle, my father, aged 85, finally succumbed to an odd assortment of infections leading to multiple organ failure. And the aforementioned lyrics sum the situation up perfectly.**

 **I'm fine with his death per se - death's just an integral part of life, after all, and as the Christian I am, I firmly believe my father's at a better place now. With that being said, my father and I had sort of a checkered past. Once I reached puberty, some thirty years ago, the two of us, both very headstrong, have clashed on an almost constant basis. For several years, we haven't been on speaking terms. As a matter of fact, that goes for my whole family - they simply didn't approve of some of my choices in life, my wife being one of them. Heck, when my mother died from complications caused by diabetes some thirteen years ago, I learned about it by reading the newspaper - no member of my family had been willing to tell me that my mother was dying, slowly and painfully. Which is why we hadn't been able to reconcile. Probably the darkest day of my life. Fortunately, my father and I managed to reconcile (over the death of my mother actually), and we have made our peace, a few weeks before his death.**

 **Still, losing my father hit very close to home somehow. I'm not sad, nor am I in mourning, I just wish I could have told him in the living years … well, a lot of things.**

 **Too late now.**

 **I know it sounds cynical, but his death was, first and foremost, a huge inconvenience for me. The problem is that, despite his age and ill health, my father had simply failed or forgotten to make the necessary preparations for the time when he wasn't there anymore. So when he died, my older brother and I, the last remaining family members (like I said, diabetes killed my mother, and my oldest brother, who was suffering from frontal lobe epilepsy and had developed schizophrenia over the years, committed suicide three years ago - yes, my family was** ** _very_** **dysfunctional), were looking at a huge pile of work that needed to be done - on top of our daily jobs and other obligations that we had to fulfill. It literally took us almost two months to sort out the chaos my father left us.**

 **After that had been dealt with, I was flying on fumes, so to speak, so I asked my employer for a few days off, which were granted to me immediately. My first leave in ten months.**

 ** _Fine_** **, I thought,** ** _finally I can start finishing this blasted story!_**

 **And then my father-in-law decided, at the tender age of 99 (!), that he'd had enough. He stopped eating almost completely, and despite their best efforts, the nurses tending for him in the old folks' home he lived in were unable to convince him otherwise. He had just decided that it was time to go, so he went, plain as that. Went to sleep one day and never woke up again.**

 **Smack in the middle of my leave.**

 **Some leave that was!**

 **Again, I'm fine with his death per se. Yes, I loved him very dearly - when he was 84, he approved of me as a potential son-in-law, after all, and we have always gotten along spectacularly well, pretty much since Day One -, but as far as I'm concerned, it simply was time for him to go. He was at the end of his tether. His story was finished, his work here was done. My wife, however, disagrees with me here, obviously. She is a very strong, tough woman, but that one really shook her to her core, regardless of her father's great age.**

 **But my mother-in-law was worse. Much worse!**

 **She's 93 years of age herself, and despite the fact that she's as fit and healthy as you can possibly be at that age, losing her husband of 66 years was absolutely devastating. For several weeks, my wife and I spent more time in the old folks' home than our own home, caring for her, trying our hardest to ease the pain, which, for my wife, was one of the hardest things she ever had to do.**

 **Still I tend to think my mother-in-law will follow her husband soon, as much as it pains me to say this - I do love her just as much as I loved him. Losing him just took a lot out of her.**

 **Needless to say that supporting both her and my wife meant a lot of work for me, so I found absolutely no time to care about this story.**

 **Not that I wanted to.**

 **In the face of death, everything else takes a step back.**

 **Another vacation would be really nice right now.**

 **Okay, Jens, enough whimpering! On to brighter things!**

 **Hooray! The City Council's session can finally take place!**

 **Or rather, the first third of it.**

 **Please don't be mad at me, but this is only the first third of the chapter. The reason for this is that my mind sometimes works in mysterious ways … This chapter and the next two are sort of a reprise of chapters two and three, the events leading up to the press conference and the press conference itself, meaning that I'll jump to and fro between different locations while the Council is in session.**

 **If you go back to chapter three, you'll probably remember that it was positively humongous. Well, the council session hadn't even started properly, and I was already close to surpassing that mark. It simply became too long and unwieldy, so after some deliberation, I split it. When I was done with this chapter, which, in my estimate, probably contains one third of the whole thing, this chapter alone was close to 25 pages long! Chapter three not quite cleared the 20-pages hurdle. And like I said, I'm not even half done! The next two chapters, the remainder of the council session, will be released in a few days - if life finally stops throwing rocks at me!**

 **These are the stats so far: Almost 15,000 views, 137 reviews, 83 favorites, and 126 alerts. A huge "Thank you!" to all of you out there!**

 **And these dedicated mammals encouraged me to go on by sending their reviews: Story. Writer. 2015, Combat Engineer, DrummerMax64, Galaxyexplorer74, Dirtkid123, Robert Escher, Foxlover91, AC-Renegade, LupinTheWolf and Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps (what a name!). Thanks for not hating me too much for postponing the council session for that long a time!**

 **The quote from "Top Gun" was found in basically no time at all, by DrummerMax64. (Yet again! Is it possible that we grew up on the same stuff?) This is the original quote: "Top Gun rules of engagement are written for your safety and for that of your team. They are not flexible, nor am I. Either obey them or you are history. Is that clear?" In the movie, Top Gun's chief instructor, Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf (played by Tom Skerritt), admonishes Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) in this manner. In my story, Bogo tells Nick almost the exact same thing (sans the "Top Gun" reference, of course). A deep bow goes out to you, DrummerMax64! Good work! Scratch one hostile bogey!**

 **You'll meet quite a lot of new original characters in this chapter, but most aren't all that important. I just need to mention two of them here. The first one's importance can be reduced to his name, but there is one OC in here who is bound to make another appearance, both in this as well as in my "Hammer" story, and a quite big one at that. These two characters were suggested to me by two of my faithful reviewers. In the author's notes towards the end of this chapter, I'll give credit where credit is due.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

 **Dangerous Mammals**

 _I am your pain, and I know you can't take me._

Motörhead: "The Game" (Written by Jim Johnston, from the album "WWF The Music, Vol. 5," Koch Records, 2001)

* * *

 **City Hall, Council Chamber, City Center, Zootopia**

 _This is exactly what I wanted._

Trying his hardest to hide his smile, Cameron Caballus surveyed the scene in front of him. Or rather, the complete and utter chaos.

He had, of course, been aware that the reappearance of Leodore Lionheart in City Hall would cause a lot of raised eyebrows. But he had assumed, maybe a bit foolishly, that after his tentative questioning, asking other councilmammals about Lionheart and their possible support for him as the old and new Mayor, the other councilmammals would at least have been somewhat prepared for the sight of the lion.

Never before had he been more mistaken.

It seemed that nobody had really expected that Caballus would turn rhetoric into action. This was the only possible explanation Caballus could think of when watching the scene unfolding before his eyes. Virtually every mammal present had left their seats. He heard hundreds of shouted questions, countless shaken heads, saw several incredulous stares. Some mammals clapped their paws or hooves in obvious approval, while others seemed to be quite vocal in voicing their displeasure. Someone even screamed at the top of their voice.

It looked and felt like an all-out riot.

The atmosphere was so tumultuous that Caballus's attempt to get a feeling for the overall atmosphere in the huge room was futile. He simply had no idea whether Lionheart was met with open arms or open hostility. It was just too noisy, too chaotic. Zootopia had certainly never seen the City Council in an uproar such as this one.

And the TV cameras were recording all of this.

It was, Caballus mused as he was sitting down on the chair at the head of the long table, exactly what he had hoped for. The Council was in utter shambles, and nothing could have shouted this fact out to the world more clearly then the complete mayhem in front of him.

And all of Zootopia was seeing this.

The stage was set for some major changes.

The question was, had the opinions of the councilmammals, their attitude towards Lionheart, changed, or were they still willing to support Caballus in his attempt to reinstate Lionheart?

Or had they simply lied into his face?

Only one way to find out.

 _Well, here goes!_

* * *

 **Zootopia News Network Headquarters, TV Studio Four, City Center, Zootopia**

" _I cannot recall having seen the City Council as a whole in such a state of confusion before_." The voice of Michael Rougeau filled the studio, accompanying the pictures recorded by the cameras inside the City Hall's Council Chamber. " _It's difficult to make out opinions at the moment, but it's safe to say the appearance of former Mayor Leodore Lionheart created some major stir among the councilmammals_."

"Do you have any idea why Lionheart is there?" Fabienne Growley asked. Peter Moosebridge looked at his co-presenter with a smile. Having the culprit behind the savage predator cases revealed, having the culprit behind the attacks on her, personally, revealed, had done wonders for her equilibrium. She was all business, her manner of speech succinct and precise. "Has he been pardoned. And if so, by whom? Acting Mayor Caballus? Or the whole Council?"

" _That's indeed the question_ ," Rougeau said. The camera switched over, showing an elderly wolverine with a microphone in his paw, standing in front of City Hall, looking into the camera. " _One of the numerous questions everyone here is asking themselves._ _There has been no press release prior to this session, so right now, I am looking at an extraordinary number of stunned looks_." He made a pause and added: " _And I'm probably wearing one of them on my face_."

Moosebridge didn't even attempt to hide his amusement. "You do, but that's perfectly understandable," he said with a chuckle. "I guess it can safely be said that nobody here expected this."

" _Although there were hints_ ," Rougeau countered. " _After the arrest of Dawn Bellwether, Officer Judy Hopps stated that the charges against Leodore Lionheart had been fabricated. And among the protestors that are still surrounding City Hall, there is an ever-increasing number of mammals asking for the pardon and reinstatement of Lionheart as Mayor of Zootopia. And they're not the only ones. The leader of the Republican Party and Speaker of the City Council, Liu Shumeng, told me only yesterday that he was even, and I quote, 'longing for the days when Lionheart was still in office,' quote end_."

"That is surprising," Growley said. "Although it has to be said that both Liu and Lionheart have always gotten along quite well."

" _Well, for Liu, what's the alternative? The Democratic Party rules the City Council by a huge margin. Even though Dawn Bellwether and Robert Aries were arrested and Matilda Swinton resigned, their party still has an advantage of 30 seats to 14 over his Republican Party. And even if the Republicans should join forces with the Green Party, which they have never done in the past, and probably never will, they're still down by a margin of twelve seats. Liu Shumeng is well-advised to stay on good terms with the Democrats_."

"But even going so far as to promote the return of one of their greatest political adversaries?"

" _Liu has never spoken ill of Lionheart. And as for Lionheart himself, he seems to hold Liu in high esteem. After all, Lionheart was the one who convinced his Democrats to vote Liu into office as Speaker of the City Council, despite Liu's party being in the minority by such a hard margin_."

"A move which surprised a lot of mammals back then," Moosebridge said.

" _Indeed, but it was a smart move. Even before Leodore Lionheart and his Democratic Party came to power, Liu Shumeng had been Speaker of the City Council. He is without the shadow of a doubt one of the most respected councilmammals in history. With nine terms of office under his belt, nobody has more experience. During his almost thirty years on this council, he has worked both as leader of the majority as well as leader of the minority, and during that time he has always been considered a mammal of great integrity. Even when Lionheart achieved such landslide victories during the last two elections, nobody questioned Liu Shumeng and his position. It certainly was a concession to the Republicans, giving them the illusion of having power and influence when they have, in fact, only very little. But it also was a bow to a well-respected, seasoned councilmammal who has always been the voice of reason, even in troubling times. Lionheart has often stated that he considered Liu to be the best mammal for the job, and so far, nobody has contradicted him. As a matter of fact, most political analysts consider him to be the only reason why the City Council hasn't broken apart over the course of the last few days_."

"But it sure seems to be on the verge of collapse now," Growley stated.

" _I guess that depends on what happens next, on why Lionheart is here. I see now that Acting Mayor Cameron Caballus has taken his place next to Liu. I think the session is about to begin. Back to you! For ZNN, I'm Michael Rougeau, live from City Hall, Zootopia._ "

"Thanks, Michael." Growley looked at Moosebridge. "I must admit that I'm feeling quite excited about this."

Moosebridge nodded. Surprisingly enough, her very public outburst a few days ago hadn't hurt her reputation at all. Most commentators had even gone so far and laud her for making her opinion known in such a spectacular fashion. She had obviously decided to continue playing that paw, and Moosebridge had no problems playing along. "I guess you're not the only citizen of Zootopia who is excited right now. We are now switching over to the Council Chamber of City Hall, where the City Council is staging an extraordinary session. For ZNN, I'm Peter Moosebridge."

"And I'm Fabienne Growley. Stay tuned!"

"Aaaannnddd … we're off the air," Patrick Mephitis said. "Good job!"

"Should we stay here?" Growley asked.

Mephitis nodded. "You better. We don't know how long the session's going to take. I'm sending Larry for a deli run. You want anything?"

Moosebridge chuckled. "As long as I have enough coffee, I'm good."

"Me too, Pat. But thanks anyway," Growley said and got up. "Let's fire up the old brewer."

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Basement, Records Department, City Center, Zootopia**

There was a loud beep, and the intercom came to life with its usual hiss of static. " _Clawhauser, this is Mastiff, do you copy?_ "

Clawhauser suppressed a yawn and pressed the appropriate button. "Yes, Clawhauser at Records here, what can I do for you?"

" _Could you please find the file for one, uhm, Duke Weselton for_ …"

"The name's Weaselton, Major. Duke Weaselton"

A short pause followed. " _You know him?_ "

Clawhauser rolled his eyes. "Everybody knows the Duke of Bootleg."

" _Ah. Anyway, could you please find his file for me? I need to look into a possible direct connection between him and Bellwether. We know he had a business relationship with this ram chemist, Doug Ramses, but maybe there's more to it than meets the eye_."

"You, sir? You're investigating the Bellwether case?"

Mastiff snorted. " _Parts of it, yes. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the DA decided to charge Bellwether with several cases of attempted murder, among other things. Of course stuff like that ends up on my desk_."

"As if there wasn't enough for you to do already," Clawhauser said, getting up. "I'll be at your office in a few minutes."

" _Don't sweat it, Ben. Go easy on that leg of yours, you hear me?_ "

Clawhauser shook his head, although Mastiff wasn't able to see it. "My leg's fine, Uncle Massie. Has been for ten years in fact."

" _Even so, there's no need for you to overexert yourself. It's perfectly okay if you just drop it at your old hunting grounds. I'll pick it up from there. It's not like this needs to be done immediately_."

Clawhauser hid his sigh of relief. There was a very good reason why the mammals from the Homicide Squad were commonly, and even somewhat affectionately, called "Homies" within the ZPD. For most intents and purposes, their leader, Major Mastiff, ran them like a big family. They were a tightly knit group, teams of twos and threes who had the reputation of working together exceptionally well. Becoming a member of the group wasn't easy, but once you were "in," you were surrounded by mammals who would willingly sacrifice everything to help you. Being a good team player was a basic prerequisite for becoming a member of Homicide Squad.

Another basic prerequisite, somewhat more dubious than the other one though, was that you needed to be okay with having a workplace placed in the back of beyond. The whole Homicide Squad was situated in the most remote corner of the huge building, far removed from the usual hustle and bustle, with Mastiff's office sitting dead-center. When asked about it, Mastiff usually stated that he didn't like noise and frantic activity.

Which in turn meant that every journey to Mastiff's office felt like a veritable round-the-world trip.

"Thanks. I'm on my way." He released the button and walked over to one of the filing cabinets. Now, after he had established a perfect alphabetical/chronological order, it took him less than three seconds to find the file Mastiff had requested. With a last sigh - and a donut downed quite quickly - he left his office to walk over to the elevator.

It was only after he had left the elevator that he was noticing something extremely peculiar:

He was the only mammal in sight.

The whole building seemed to be deserted. There were none of the usual officers loitering about in the hallways, trying to look busy while basically killing time. There were no other officers who actually _were_ busy doing their duties. There were no freshly arrested criminals, no civilians who came there on one errand or another, no pressmammals molesting everyone they could lay their paws on in their quest for answers.

He looked at his wristwatch in irritation. Almost high noon. Certainly not the most busy of times in Zootopia - in most families, lunch would be served shortly -, yet to meet and see nobody, that was unheard of.

Predictably, when Clawhauser reached the receptionist's desk, the mammal he met there looked bored out of her brains.

"Hey, what's up, Chris?" he said instead of a greeting. "Where is everyone?"

Christine Caballus greeted him with a smile. Despite both of them belonging to the in-house staff, being restricted to office work, the interactions between Caballus and Clawhauser could have been counted on one paw in the past. As a former beat cop, Clawhauser still felt close to all the current beat cops, a lot closer than he felt to the mammals working in office jobs at Precinct One. He knew all of them, of course - came with being the first face you saw when entering the building. And while he certainly was on friendly terms with virtually everyone working at Precinct One, there simply were mammals he didn't know all that well.

Caballus had been one of them. This had changed, however, when someone in City Council had decided that it would be a bad idea if a cheetah was the one welcoming you when entering Precinct One. When Clawhauser had met Caballus for the first time after being reassigned to the Records Department, he had resented her with every fiber of his being. This feeling evaporated fast, however, when he learned that she was just as annoyed about the reassignment than he was. She belonged in Records, he belonged in Dispatch and Reception, plain as that. They simply were fellows in suffering. Holding any of this against her would have been grossly unfair, so he had started to treat her like every other mammal. And she had responded in kind. After a few weeks of shared misery, they had even become friends, sort of. "Beats me, Ben. I mean, the Chief has gone over to City Hall, and he's taken Higgins, McHorn, Rhinowitz, Pennington and Trunkaby with him."

"Going for size?"

"Seems like it And Sergeant Hamada is teaming up with some guys from Precinct Four to arrest the other teenagers who mauled the lynx girl. Plus we have a few other guys to bust. _Plus_ there still is this protest rally in front of City Hall. I guess most guys are simply busy." She pointed at the file. "On some errand?"

"Yup. Uncle Massie wanted to have this file here."

"Uncle Massie?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry, I meant Major Mastiff."

"You call the Major _Uncle Massie_?"

Clawhauser shrugged. "Why not? When we're between ourselves, I sometimes call the Chief AJ. He was my first commanding officer back then, leading the SWAT team I became a member of when joining the ZPD. I met Major Mastiff on my very first day here, I got to help him a few times, he liked me, we were on first-name terms pretty quickly, and at one point I simply started calling him Uncle Massie, like most officers in Homicide Squad do. And he was okay with it. End of story."

Caballus gave a grin. "I keep forgetting that you've more than a dozen years of service under your belt. I know Bogo only as the Chief."

"Well, he was a Captain when I joined."

She looked at the file. "Weaselton? What has he done this time?"

"Well, we know he stole the Night Howler bulbs for Doug Ramses, but they're looking into possible connections between him and Bellwether."

"Direct connections?"

"Looks like it."

"Do you believe it?"

Clawhauser snorted. "Not for one second. Weaselton wouldn't recognize a good scam if it bit him in the face. He isn't smart enough to be involved in any sort of grand scheming beyond simple theft and bootlegging. Bellwether and Ramses were probably just looking for someone to steal the Night Howler bulbs for them, and he was fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. Still," he raised the file, "the Major's right, it deserves being looked into, if only to rule out any further hitches."

Suddenly a male voice piped up behind Clawhauser. "That's the thinking, Ben." Clawhauser turned around to find Mastiff standing in front of him, the infamous lopsided grin on his disfigured face. "The Chief and I don't believe it either, but you know what they say about failure to take precautions, don't you?"

Clawhauser smiled while handing him the file. "They're the fastest way to get into really big trouble, sir."

"Damn right."

Upon Caballus's incredulous stare, Clawhauser said silently: "He told me this, on one of my first days on the force."

"And it's true." Mastiff pointed at his eye patch. "If I had bothered to check for any hippos on the loose when we entered the warehouse, I would still enjoy the pleasure of having binocular vision." He then pointed at Clawhauser's left leg. "If you had made sure the tiger was really out, you would still be a beat cop."

Clawhauser sighed. "Yeah, I know, but what's done is done."

"That it is, but we can still learn from our mistakes. And who knows," he looked down at the file in his paws, "maybe we'll come up with a new lead."

"That's … rather doubtful," Caballus found herself saying.

"You know Weselton?"

"Uh, the name's Weaselton, sir," Caballus said.

Mastiff smiled. "I know, but I couldn't care less."

"Hang on a minute, you know him?" Clawhauser said.

Mastiff gave him a grin. "What was it you said? Everybody knows the Duke of Bootleg. As a matter of fact, I came across him more often than I like to remember."

Clawhauser shook his head. "I thought you didn't know him."

"Just because I didn't know his real name? I know his real name. I just prefer to call him Weselton on purpose."

"Even to his face?" Caballus asked.

" _Especially_ to his face. Nothing gets a rise out of that little idiot faster than calling him Weselton." Mastiff pointed at the laptop standing next to Caballus. "You know, I'm surprised. I would have thought you'd be watching what's going on at City Hall right now."

Clawhauser made a frown. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know? That's surprising. I thought every mammal in Zootopia …" He made a pause and an encompassing gesture. "You know why there's nobody here today?"

Caballus looked around. "No, but we were asking ourselves …"

Mastiff pointed at the laptop again. "Log on to the ZNN homepage. They're bound to have a livestream."

"A livestream of what?" Clawhauser asked.

"You know where the Chief went this morning?"

"Uhm, City Hall, right?"

"Bingo! 'Cause that's where the action is today. I guess most citizens of Zootopia are glued to their TV sets right now."

"Excuse me, sir, but I cannot watch TV while on duty," Caballus said.

Mastiff gave her a sardonic smile. "And who's going to rat on you? Ben here? Believe me, you _do_ want to see this, badly."

"Sorry, I can't. I won't risk my job for …"

Mastiff sighed. "Fine. I'm _ordering you_ to watch the ZNN livestream now, Officer. If someone complains about it, Clawhauser's your witness that you're under orders. Let them come to me. Not that anyone will give a damn anyway."

Caballus looked at Clawhauser, who nodded. She slowly opened her laptop and logged onto the ZNN's website. Finding the livestream, she gave a scowl. "A council session? Are you shitting me?" She looked at Mastiff. "Ah, oh, sorry, sir!"

Mastiff gave her a smile. "At ease, Officer. Yes, a council session. Watch closely!"

"What do you mean?"

"Look who's presiding."

"Well, there's Liu and … wait a second … is that my _dad_?"

"What? You didn't know?" Mastiff asked.

"Know what?"

"Your father's the current Acting Mayor."

Caballus stared at him in obvious incredulity. "Are you trying to pull my leg, sir?"

Mastiff chuckled. "I wouldn't think of it."

Caballus opened her mouth to speak, but remained silent when the presiding panda stood up and rang a small bell. " _Order!_ " he shouted with his sonorous basso voice. " _The Council will come to order!_ "

While they were waiting for the councilmammals to settle down, Clawhauser asked: "And you really didn't know?"

Caballus shook her head. "Since I moved out, my dad and I hardly see each other anymore. It's usually phone calls. He called me a few days ago, but back then, Aries still was Acting Mayor."

"Well, you are a bit behind the time."

"I know, but … my _dad_?" She snorted. "Last guy you want to have as your Mayor."

"That doesn't sound like you hold your father in a high esteem," Mastiff said quietly.

"Oh, I do! He always was a great dad to me. But I cannot say I like him too much when he's acting all … _council-ish_."

Clawhauser grinned. "Council-ish?"

Caballus shrugged. "Whenever he's doing council business, he changes. I can't even put my digit on it, but somehow … I don't know. Whenever he puts on his 'politician's face,' as he calls it, it just feels … wrong."

During her last sentences, the councilmammals had indeed become quiet and sat down on their respective chairs. The panda looked around and said: " _The City Council of Zootopia is in session. Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemammals, for coming here on such a short notice. Seeing that we seem to be complete, I hereby declare that we have the quorum. Now, I have been asked by our current Acting Mayor, Cameron Caballus, to invite you to this extraordinary session. Although I have to admit,_ " he looked at Caballus with a grin, " _I have no idea why. Some of you have asked me about today's agenda. Well, we have none. Which is why I am giving the floor to Acting Mayor Caballus now. I guess he'll be able to explain it._ "

" _I am, Mr. Speaker_ ," Cameron Caballus said at once and stood up while the panda sat down again. " _Thank you, Shumeng. And I also want to thank each and every one of you for coming here. I didn't have enough time to write an agenda, but we have a lot of things_ on _our agenda. I suggest we're making it up as we go. So, without further ado, let's get to it._ "

He made a pause, looking around. Finally staring into the camera, he said: " _When I first ran for office, I desperately wanted to gain a seat in this hallowed building. So I invested a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of effort on my candidacy. And it worked. I got the necessary votes, I became a councilmammal. Thanks to the citizens of Zootopia, to whom I am very much indebted_." He affected a slight bow.

His daughter groaned. "And yet again, he's brown-nosing the people! Way to go, Daddy!"

Her father continued: " _Did I ever entertain ideas of becoming more, of maybe even try my luck and aim for mayoralty one day? No, no, not really. I was content with where I was. I even became complacent. Never again did I invest nearly as much money, time, and effort into my campaigns. I didn't need to. After one term of office, I was so well-established that I climbed very high on the list of candidates. Me holding a seat in the City Council, that was always a given, regardless of the outcome of the respective elections. I was content, I was happy_.

" _And then I got sloppy_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clawhauser said.

" _When it came to deciding who'd be the next Mayor_ ," Cameron Caballus continued, " _I ended up seventh in line, behind Leodore Lionheart, Dawn Bellwether, Robert Aries, Matilda Swinton, Franklin Pardalis, and Zachary Murinus. Never before had I been that high on the list of possible successors. That was a source of some concern for me. After a while, however, I realized just how unlikely it was for me to ever become Mayor. Just how likely is it for six councilmammals to step down?_

He sighed. " _Famous last words. Well, here I am, the Acting Mayor of Zootopia!_ "

He made a tiny pause and continued so silently that you had to strain your ears to hear him. " _I never wanted to become the Mayor. I never wanted the responsibility, I never wanted the workload, I never …_ "

He made yet another pause, shook his head and continued: " _I'm an entrepreneur, I run a construction company. And at the end of the day, that is what defines me, not the fact that I'm a councilmammal. Being one is, in a manner of speaking, a hobby of mine. Running my company, that has always been more important to me. And before you admonish me for that attitude, are you any different?_

" _Ask yourself one question: Is being a councilmammal more important than your family? Than your job? I doubt it. There are few things more important than your wife and children. There are few things more important than the job which pays the bills. You need to survive, your family needs to survive. You need to support yourself. Most citizens of Zootopia consider their jobs to be of utmost importance, and I'm certainly no exception. And I'm pretty sure most of you think along the same lines_.

" _And now, the big moral question: Is this the right attitude?_ " He made a pause. " _No, it isn't! Of course it isn't! We were elected into office because the citizens of Zootopia put their faith, their trust in us. They expect us to do what is in our power to help them, to support them, to make sure that they can live in peace, harmony, health, and prosperity_.

" _And boy! Have we failed!_

" _I guess I'm revealing no secret when I say that Zootopia is in turmoil. You've all seen the protestors camped out in front of City Hall. Their number is growing constantly. And I cannot blame them. Because for several days,_ " he made another pause, and suddenly his voice became stern, " _for several days,_ _we have failed to do what the citizens of Zootopia desperately want us to do, and spectacularly at that. We failed to do what is in our power to restore peace and order in this city. The people out there have expectations, and they have every right to have these expectations, and we have failed so utterly, so miserably, at fulfilling these expectations._

" _We betrayed their trust! We deceived their hopes! We betrayed their confidence!_ "

Surprisingly enough, his statement was met with stony silence.

* * *

 **Thomas Cowam Children's Hospital, Station IV, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

"This tastes like cardboard," the young aardwolf lying in the bed said with a pout.

Despite herself, Rebecca Katanga-Lionheart had to smile at that one. "Are you trying to tell me that you know what cardboard tastes like?"

The aardwolf grinned. "Uh, no."

Rebecca found herself returning the the grin. After having fought down leukemia, Tyler Cristata was on his long, slow way to recovery, with an arduous struggle still ahead of him. Yet, even the most exhausting radiation and chemical therapies had done nothing to dampen his spirit. Rebecca had quickly found out that she liked him, and she had the distinct impression that the feeling was mutual. Seeing him was one of the few bright spots in days of toil and darkness.

One of the very few bright spots.

While picking up the food tray, Rebecca looked up at the TV screen. To her surprise, it didn't show one of the dreadful music videos the boy was so fond of. Instead it showed the rather austere interior of City Hall's Council Chamber. There obviously was a meeting in session, with a tall horse standing at the front of the table, in the middle of a speech. Rebecca had never cared much for the City Council, and after her husband had been arrested, her willingness to be concerned with what he had been dealing with had evaporated completely. Still she knew most councilmammals by sight. And she also remembered what her husband thought of the horse.

 _Great! Another one of those dense, egotistical, narcissistic bullies. Just what this city needs!_

With a suppressed sigh, she said: "What's wrong with you, Tyler? I thought you'd be watching one of those horrible shows like Headhunter's Ball."

"Headbanger's Ball," Tyler corrected her. "And I would, but that's all they show, on all available channels."

She made a frown. "Really? Why?"

"No idea. I muted the blasted thing. I never liked politicians much."

This time, Rebecca sighed. "You and me both, Tyler."

"Really?" Tyler pushed himself up from the bed, with some difficulty. "Wasn't your hubby the Mayor?"

This elicited another sigh. "He was, but that doesn't mean I like those people very much."

"He's there, you know."

The boy made this comment in such a casual tone, it took Rebecca a few seconds to fully realize what he had said. She turned around as quickly as the tray she was still carrying allowed for. "What was that?"

Tyler pointed at the screen. "Your husband is there, in the background. There, next to the door."

Rebecca took a closer look. And sure enough, a tall, rather muscular lion was standing in the background, paws folded behind his back, wearing a blue three-piece suit. Even on the rather tiny screen, he was instantly recognizable. "What the heck …"

"You wanna hear this?" the boy asked.

"Uh, yes, please," Rebecca said silently.

The boy pressed a button on the remote, and immediately, the voice of Cameron Caballus filled the room. "… _their hopes! We betrayed their confidence!_ "

Rebecca made a frown. She had heard the horse speak much too often for her liking, but he had never sounded that harsh, that stern before, not even remotely. And as he continued speaking, his voice became more harsh by the second.

" _We were, and still are, much too interested in keeping our jobs, in maintaining the status quo, maybe even the status quo ante, a return to the time before Zootopia started to go to hell. Well, too late for that. Dawn Bellwether and her criminal thugs saw to that_."

Several people raised their voices at that, but Caballus continued regardless. " _Yes, I'm calling her a criminal, because she is. She deserves to rot in the deepest dungeon for what she did. She is the single reason for Zootopia to sink into almost complete chaos. She had a plan, a plan so devious that I still shudder thinking about it_."

He made a pause and lowered his head. " _And the worst thing about it is, I helped her put that plan into motion. I supported her by voting for every single one of her outrageous motions, going against my very own convictions. I have, in a manner of speaking, negated everything I did in this very building in the last fifteen years or so. She played me for a sucker, and I have only my own stupidity to blame for that_." After another pause, he raised his head again. " _Well, this ends right now!_ "

He pointed at the door, where Rebecca's husband was still standing, unmoving. " _When I asked every one of you whether you'd support the return of Leodore Lionheart into office, many of you obviously thought that I was just fooling around. I'm not, to the contrary. I've never been this serious before._

" _After Bellwether was arrested, ZPD's Officer Judy Hopps alluded to the possibility of Leodore Lionheart being innocent, of him being duped by Bellwether. Well, I thought at first, what does she know? She's just a bunny, the first graduate of Lionheart's Mammal Inclusion Initiative, a rookie cop, way too young and way too naïve._

" _But as each and everyone of you should know, first impressions can be deceiving._

" _Just this morning, I gave Chief Adrian Bogo of ZPD's Precinct One a call, asking him whether it was true, whether Lionheart was innocent. And after some reluctance, he told me that Bellwether had indeed given a confession boiling down to that possibility. Everything Officer Hopps had said was the truth, and she and Mister Nicholas Wilde risked their lives to learn said truth. After having been told that, I paid the District Attorney, Andrew Horner, a visit. He granted me a quick glimpse into the investigation file against Dawn Bellwether. And as it turns out, there's every indication that Leodore Lionheart is_ …"

He made a lengthy pause, and Rebecca found out to her dismay that breathing had just become quite difficult.

" _…_ _well, I guess innocent's too strong a word. He did falsely imprison the savage predators, and he frankly admitted to it. But it's a fact, proven by preliminary evidence and several witness statements, that he had been coerced, that Dawn Bellwether forced his paws. Extenuating circumstances, if you ask me_."

He took a deep breath. " _Be that as it may, it doesn't matter anyway. As of this morning, Leodore Lionheart is a free mammal again. I have executed my right as Acting Mayor of Zootopia to grant him a full pardon. As far as I'm concerned, Leodore Lionheart did nothing wrong, and should your opinion differ, you can keep your opinion to yourself, because I don't care about it!_ "

Rebecca closed her eyes, and it was only then that she noticed that tears were running down her face, wetting her fur. She felt a small paw being placed on her arm and opened her eyes again to look into the face of Tyler showing nothing but compassion.

* * *

 **ZPD Forensic Laboratory, Conference Room, City Center, Zootopia**

"So, let's recap. Where do we stand?" Doctor Peralta sat down at the head of the long table. Being a giraffe, he still towered over all the other mammals who had joined him in his quest to find a cure for the Nighthowler serum. His gaze went over the other mammals and finally came to rest on Madge Badger. "Honey?"

She took a deep breath. Despite being a scientist of renown, she still felt quite insignificant next to all these legends of scientific research. At least nobody held her involvement in the Missing Mammals case against her. To the contrary, she had been treated with respect and courtesy, so much courtesy that she was on first-name terms with each and every one of them by now. "Well, your initial instinct turned out to be correct, Armando. Epinephrine's a big factor. Among other things, the poison kicks the adrenal glands into overdrive, so the body's inundated with adrenaline. Endorphin levels are through the roof, too."

Peralta nodded while pouring himself a cup of tea. "So the victim feels little to no pain, and the physical strength increases massively."

"Plus the fight-or-flight instinct overpowers everything else."

"Yes, but why do they fight and not flee?" Doctor Charles Afer, an aardvark who was working at a pharmaceutical company, looked at her. "I mean, this otter who was infected, he attacked a jaguar of all mammals, an animal several times his size and weight. Even under the influence of something which makes you super-strong and alert, you'd think twice before doing something like that."

"So why do they do it?" Peralta asked. "Hallucinations?"

"Most certainly, but I have no idea how this is achieved." This came from Professor Eleonore Mitis, an ocelot and teacher at Zootopia University. "We can rule out most psychedelic drugs, because they all work only for a very short period of time. You need to, in a manner of speaking, refresh the dosage on a regular basic. For example, the most common psychedelic drug, LSD, has a half-life of about three-and-a-half hours, so after half a day, the effect is all but gone. And unlike adrenaline and endorphin, which are produced by the body itself, none of the commonly known psychedelic drugs are synthesized within the body or can be produced by it directly. On top of that, most psychedelic drugs lead to severe side effects like fatigue or muscle weakness, and our victims are all but weak. And most drugs induce euphoria, not outright aggressiveness."

"Well, this is where this infamous Nighthowler plant comes in, I guess," Badger said.

"Certainly, but even there we run into a snatch. My research assistant told me that they are, in effect, very similar to LSD, especially in terms of their half-life. One of his uncles ate one of the flowers, but he recovered within less than one day. Our victims still are under the influence of the drug, some of them almost half a year after being drugged. How? Whoever created the serum, he must be a genius, because I have no idea how he managed to make the effect permanent."

"Are you sure that the effect _is_ permanent?" Peralta asked.

"That seems to be the case, yes," Afer said. "Otherwise we would have seen at least a diminished effect, and the savage mammals are just as savage today as they were when they were first drugged."

"What about multiplication? Officer Hopps suggested that just the vast amount of Nighthowlers in the serum is causing the effects' longevity."

"It's not that simple. In most drugs, increasing the dosage merely means the drug becomes more dangerous, maybe even lethal. If the dosage is too high, if it's increased by a factor of several dozen, as Hopps claimed, you get no effect, you get instant exitus."

"That's all just guesswork," Mitis said. "Nobody knows exactly, because nobody dealing with Nighthowlers even goes near the stuff."

"How do you know?" Badger asked.

"My assistant told me, and he should know, seeing that he's from Bunnyburrow. He grew up on a farm where Nighthowlers are used since the nineties, to great effect."

"Ah. He's a bunny?" Afer asked.

"A very astute observation," Mitis said with a chuckle.

"So we need to extract the original essence of Nighthowlers from the complete serum," Peralta said. "Where do we stand there?"

Gerard Gusteau, a mouse and owner of a health care company, made a frown. "Not good. Like Eleonore said, whoever did this is a genius. We're talking about at least 300, maybe close to 400 different components, all of which need to be identified. We don't even know which one of the numerous ingredients is the essence of _Midnicampum holicithias_ , or whether there are several components from the flower in the serum."

"In other words, we need the real McCoy."

"So to speak, yes."

Peralta looked at Mitis. "Well?"

Mitis shrugged. "You probably won't believe it, but you won't find a single Nighthowler in Zootopia. All you'll find are bulbs, and those are removed from the shelves as we speak, courtesy of the public health authorities. And the bulbs won't help us anyway, seeing that it takes at least three months for the flowers to have grown enough for us to be able to extract anything useful from them."

"That's too long. We need results sooner than that. Chief Bogo's really breathing down my neck here, and rightly so. This needs to be solved as quickly as possible."

"My sentiments exactly. Which is why I sent my research assistant home today to fetch me some fully-grown Nighthowler plants from his family farm. As a matter of fact, I'm expecting his return any minute now."

"Good thinking!" Peralta looked around. "Anything else?"

"Well," Badger began, "I have isolated the components which kick the adrenal glands into top gear. Now I need to find out if the effect is reversible."

"Are we talking permanent effect here?" Mitis asked.

It was Afer to answer. "We have seen little so far to support the reverse. Even now, weeks, even months after being infected, the adrenaline levels still are dangerously high. So high in fact that it's a miracle no victim has suffered a heart attack or a stroke so far."

"Permanent damage to the glands?" Peralta asked.

Gusteau shook his head. "Preferably not."

"Organically, the adrenal glands are fine. All victims are, in fact, in a remarkably good shape," Mitis said.

"What do you mean?" Peralta asked.

"Well, one of the first victims, a polar bear, was slightly, ahem, horizontally challenged when he was poisoned."

"Horizontally challenged?"

Mitis gave the giraffe a grin. "Let's not mince words here, he was fat. Class II obesity. I was talking to his wife the other day. She told me that he had something of a sweet tooth and knew physical exercise only from hearsay. Since he came here, he has eaten nothing but fish. He simply refused to eat anything else. I tried to give him some iced cupcakes - he just walked past them. Which is all he does, walk to and fro. None of the mammals seem to be able to sit still. When they're not asleep, they're moving."

"They need to get rid of all the excess energy," Afer suggested. "After all, all the adrenaline keeps their bodies in a constant state of high alertness."

"Probably. Be that as it may, our polar bear has, so far, lost almost 120 pounds of weight and is in the shape of his life."

Peralta gave a low whistle and looked down at his substantial tummy. "Maybe I should let you poison me with that stuff." That elicited a small laughter.

Which died pretty quickly when the door to the conference room opened, and a bunny walked in. And Badger had to look twice.

The buck easily was the tallest rabbit she had ever seen, certainly taller than she was herself. Apart from that, he was remarkably unremarkable. His fur was a light brown, his eyes likewise, and his face completely ordinary.

Mitis gave the buck a smile. "Ah, Billy, right on time!" She looked around. "Ladies and Gentlemammals, meet William Hopps, my research assistant. He's currently working on his dissertation. I'm his dissertation supervisor."

Peralta nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hopps."

The rabbit smiled, showing his buck teeth, and Badger couldn't help noticing a sizeable gap between them. _Acromegaly_ , she thought. _Never knew it could hit rabbits, too_. "It's an honor, Doctor Peralta," the rabbit said. "But please, call me Billy. Everyone does."

"Of course, Billy. You have something for us?"

"I do, yes," Billy answered. "My dad sends his regards. Two dozens of his finest _Midnicampum holicithias_." With that, he placed two open wooden boxes on the tabletop.

"Much appreciated. Let him send the bill my way." Mitis gave him a wink. "What took you so long?"

Billy shrugged. "Well, apart from the fact that it took me some time to get used to your car, Eleonore, it was an absolute pandemonium out there when I left. I've never seen streets that crowded, not even in Bunnyburrow during Carrot Festival."

"Only when you left?" Peralta asked.

"Well, most citizens of Zootopia will probably be glued to their TV sets by now."

"Why?"

"The City Council is in session, and most TV stations are broadcasting live."

"How do you know?" Mitis asked.

"Heard it on the radio. The last thing I heard was that Leodore Lionheart was there, too."

Badger stared at him with her mouth open in shock. "Lionheart walks free?"

Billy looked at her with a frown, then his featured softened. "You're Doctor Madge Badger, right?"

"I am."

"It's an honor, Doctor Badger. Haven't I seen you at Zootopia General Hospital during my internship there?"

She turned her face into a scowl. "I was actually leading the lab there, until Lionheart asked me to help him deal with the savage predators. And a certain bunny and a fox put an end to that, as you probably know."

Billy chuckled. "That bunny's my younger sister."

"Really?"

"Really. We're from the same litter actually. I'm the oldest of five, Judy was third."

"It really is a small world," Afer said.

His last words were almost drowned out by a loud, cheerful ditty which suddenly filled the conference room. Everybody looked at Gusteau, who had jumped onto the table, walked over to the remote control, which was every bit as big as he was, and turned the TV set on, which was situated in a corner. Switching channels simply by stepping onto the appropriate buttons, he had soon found ZNN, and the TV set showed a horse standing at the head of a round table, obviously giving a speech.

When everybody kept looking at Gusteau, the mouse shrugged. "What? You don't want to see this?"

"Oh, we do, Jerry," Peralta said. "We sure do."

" _…_ _executed my right as Acting Mayor of Zootopia to grant him a full pardon,_ " the horse said. Badger had to rack her brains to remember the name of the mammal, Cameron Caballus. An entrepreneur, one of the numerous councilmammals who had only been campaigning to protect their livelihood. " _As far as I'm concerned, Leodore Lionheart did nothing wrong, and should your opinion differ, you can keep your opinion to yourself, because I don't care about it!_ "

Caballus made a pause, looking around. " _Of course, that's only half of the story. The other half is this: Some five years ago, a landslide victory brought Leodore Lionheart his first term of office, as you probably remember. He won almost 70 percent of the votes of the citizens of Zootopia. And his approval polls have never shown figures lower than 60 percent_. _Last year, he was re-elected, and he won with no less than 72 percent of the votes_." He looked over at Lionheart and gave him a somewhat mocking smile. " _For reasons inexplicable to me, the citizens of Zootopia like him_."

He turned back towards the camera, and his features became stern again. " _That was a joke, of course. I know the reasons, and they are good. Leodore Lionheart was the first Major in a very long time who had made it his goal to ensure that every citizen of Zootopia received the same opportunities, regardless of species, gender, or background. 'Anyone can be anything,' the mantra first coined by the founding fathers of Zootopia, was_ his _mantra, it was the code he lived by. All his predecessors, they had their very own agendas, and while following them, they lost sight of the citizens, they lost sight of the fact that it was their goddamn job to make sure that Zootopia and everyone in it could flourish. Lionheart never lost sight of this goal, and this is why he was met with such approval_.

" _Needless to say, a mammal like this was a thorn in the eye of a power-hungry sheep named Dawn Bellwether, which is why he had to go. Turn predators savage, force his paws, make sure to assign all the blame to him, and just like that_ ," he snapped his digits, " _he's removed from office_." He made a pause, and his face turned into a scowl. " _And we all played along like the biggest bunch of suckers_.

" _Well, like they say, it's never to late to rectify a mistake. I am filing a motion now, to be decided here, today. As of right now, I am no longer the Acting Major of Zootopia. I'm stepping down to make way for a mammal who has proven, over and over again, that the sake of Zootopia and its citizens, their well-being, was top priority. Unlike most of us, who seem to have forgotten this fact. I am calling for a new election. This city needs a new Mayor, preferably the old one. I am hereby nominating Leodore Lionheart. And I'm not doing this because he is a fellow party member - I couldn't care less if he was a Republican or a member of the Green Party. I'm not doing this because I like him - we have actually never gotten along all that well, and I guess that'll never change. No, I'm doing this because he is the right, the_ only _mammal for the job, the only true alternative. And if you agree with me, I strongly suggest you vote for him. Thank you_." Caballus sat down again.

"Wow!" Gusteau said. "That really came out of left field."

Badger looked at the screen, completely dumbfounded.

Lionheart had told her about the mess his life was, about the debts, about his dubious future, about the hardship his wife had to endure.

Badger had gotten her shot at redemption.

She just hoped he would receive his.

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

"Alright," Bogo said. "We're going in."

"Wait a minute, sir!" Higgins said immediately. "We were told to wait until Lionheart's reelected!"

" _If_ he is reelected. There probably are several mammals in there who're opposed to Lionheart, and Merino, Hirvi, and Brooks certainly are three of them. Do you honestly think they will vote for Lionheart? If we remove them, it'll be an asset."

That thought gave Higgins pause. "You're right, Chief."

"Of course I am." Bogo turned towards Judy and Nick. "You wait here," he said.

"For what?" Nick asked.

"Somebody will pick you up, Wilde." With that, Bogo turned away and strode towards the huge door leading into the Council Chamber, with his five massive officers in tow.

Nick looked at Judy. "Can't wait to see this."

"Do you have any idea what Bogo wants us for?" Judy asked.

"Not a clue, Carrots. We just have to wait and see."

They watched Bogo pound against the door with his enormous fist. It was opened almost immediately, and he and the officers entered. They had hardly left the lobby when Nick said with a chuckle: "Not one for subtlety, eh?"

"At his size, would you?" Judy grinned.

"Probably not."

Both looked down at the tablet computer, seeing that the camera had zoomed towards the door, showing the six towering police officers standing just inside the council chamber.

Upon their entrance, Caballus had gotten up again. " _Excuse me, Chief Bogo, is there a problem?_ "

" _Yes, there is. There are three criminals in this room, criminals I'd like to arrest_."

"No beating about the bush, that's for sure," Nick said.

Even to Judy and Nick, who both knew that Caballus was in the know, his display of astonishment looked utterly convincing. " _What? Now? Here?_ "

Liu Shumeng had gotten up, too. " _Excuse me, Chief Bogo, but you can't just walk in here to_ …"

Bogo interrupted him ruthlessly: " _I beg your pardon, Mr. Speaker, but when you look at the law, you'll find out that I can. It is my job to arrest criminals, and since there is no such thing as diplomatic immunity in this city, not for councilmammals at least, which is a good thing in my opinion, there's nothing you can do to stop me_."

" _But we're in session!_ " Caballus shouted.

" _Do you honestly think I give a damn, Mayor?_ _Every minute a criminal walks free is a wasted minute to me. And we have given enough evidence to the DA for him to approve of the arrests_. _As a matter of fact, I have three signed arrest warrants_." He held up a bunch of papers.

" _You can't do this!_ "

Bogo gave a chuckle. " _I'd like to see you try and stop me, Caballus!_ " Without further ado, he gave some orders to his officers, who walked into the room to collect three mammals from the folds of the councilmammals, one black sheep, one dorcas gazelle and one camel. While they did so, Bogo shouted: " _Councilmammals Isabella Merino, Maya Brooks, and Doctor Jonathan Hirvi, you are under arrest for conspiring to overthrow Zootopia, for falsifying official documents, and an assortment of other crimes which will be given to you in full detail after we've taken you to Precinct One. You have the right to remain silent_."

"Really impressive," Judy said. "Going for maximum impact."

"Of course," Nick said. "Anything less won't be enough right now. If there still was anyone out there believing just for one second that this whole City Council isn't utterly corrupt and useless, I guess their believes just got shattered."

Judy shook her head. "Most mammals out there have lost their faith in the City Council months ago. You heard them, too."

"I did, and you're probably right."

They watched in silence as Bogo finished reading the three arrested mammals their rights. The very same silence which, surprisingly enough, had befallen the other councilmammals. For almost two minutes, Bogo's enormous voice was the only sound they could make out. His sudden appearance and actions seemed to have shocked everybody around into a stupor.

The only other mammal voicing his opinion was Caballus. " _This is highly irregular!_ " he said after Bogo was done.

" _To the contrary, Caballus. I'm in full accordance with the law, unlike Merino, Brooks, and Hirvi_." He said a few words to Higgins, who in turn gave some orders to the other officers, who walked towards the door immediately. A few seconds later, Pennington, Trunkaby, McHorn and Rhinowitz were walking past Judy and Nick, their prisoners in tow. The three (former) councilmammals hardly spared them a look, only the sheep gave them somewhat of a stink eye. They ignored her and turned their attention back to the screen.

Bogo and Higgins were still standing near the table, a fact which visibly unnerved a lot of mammals. " _Is there anything else, Chief?_ " Caballus asked and added with quite a lot of annoyance in his voice: " _Can't you see we're busy?_ "

Bogo nodded. " _Of course there is something else, and you know it, Caballus_."

* * *

 **Austin J. Robin Plaza, In Front of City Hall, City Center, Zootopia**

After having worked for the ZPD for more than a decade, wearing many hats, Frederick Delgato was proud to say that he had developed something of a sixth sense when it came to spotting troublemakers. Which is why he pushed his way past a group of smaller mammals with considerable haste.

Because he had seen a mammal who just screamed trouble.

Trying to act inconspicuous, he approached the small mammal, every fiber on alert. If this was going to get ugly, he needed to be in tip-top shape.

At first glance, the mammal didn't look overly remarkable. Like many mammals on the plaza, he wore shades to protect against the glaring sun. His jacket appeared to come from military stock - it was a flight jacket made out of brown leatherette with some military insignia on both the front and the back. He wore it over a white tank top. Blue jeans and military boots completed the picture. A sizeable black rucksack was sitting on the ground next to him, obviously belonging to him. Delgato decided that he was probably looking at a soldier. Or rather an ex-soldier, given the mammal's rather unkempt appearance.

An ex-soldier with a lot of fighting experience. His posture alone ruled out all other possible explanations. Like a coiled spring, he looked insanely alert. He was quite muscular, if the bulges barely concealed by his jacket were any indication, and his relaxed-looking stance may have fooled most mammals, but as a trained martial artist, Delgato instinctively recognized it as the posture of a seasoned fighter, someone expecting an attack, fully prepared to repel it.

A mammal like this, an ex-soldier with fighting experience, out to look for trouble could mean a _lot_ of trouble for him.

Delgato paused, thinking.

 _Am I letting my prejudices get the better of me here?_

The mammal in question was a fox, an arctic fox, to be more precise.

And foxes are, as everybody knew, sneaky and untrustworthy.

Then again, it was a fox who had helped turn things around in Zootopia.

 _Should I give him the benefit of the doubt?_

He had just closed the gap to the arctic fox to less than six feet when the latter made the decision for him. Still looking at the huge view screen which showed Acting Mayor Caballus giving a speech, the fox said: "Relax, copper. I don't go looking for trouble."

Delgato stopped in his stride. _How on earth_ …

The fox continued: "Trouble usually finds _me_."

"Who are you?" Delgato asked.

Still not looking at him, the fox chuckled. "What, you don't wanna know how I was able to tell that you are a cop?"

Delgato stepped next to the fox, not looking at him either, turning his gaze towards the view screen instead. A casual observer may not have guessed that they were in the process of having a conversation. "One, I'm not a cop anymore."

"Oh! How comes?"

"Bellwether saw to that." Delgato couldn't help growling.

"I see. And two?"

Delgato shrugged. "I just presumed that you are the kind of mammal who knew a cop when they saw one."

Again, the fox gave a chuckle. "That sounds like something a friend of mine could have said."

"A friend of yours?"

"Yep. I don't think you know him, he's a red fox."

Delgato frowned, and his thoughts went back to the red fox he had met a few minutes earlier. He had said something very similar to him. "Are we talking about Nick Wilde?"

Now the fox turned towards the lion for the first time. "So you _do_ know my friend. I'm impressed."

"Well, most of Zootopia knows him, I guess, what with helping to arrest Bellwether."

"You're probably right." The fox made a pause, returning his gaze to the view screen. "You're looking for guys looking for trouble." It was a statement, not a question.

Delgato, however, decided not to relent that easily. "What would give you that idea?"

"The fact that you spotted a tiny fox wearing military garb amongst the thousands of mammals, for one."

Delgato leaned back a bit to look at the insignia on the back of the foxes' jacket. On closer inspection, it turned out to be a company insignia. It showed an overturned anchor over wavy lines in front of two crossed rifles. Complete with the laurel wreath encircling the logo and horns adorning the circle, it almost looked like the face of a predator with buffalo horns, with the anchor's arms providing eyebrows, while the rifles provided the eyes through their butts and long, sinister-looking fangs through their barrels.

"Royal Nagerian Armed Forces, Naval Infantry, first regiment, second battalion, first company, nicknamed Horned Head," the fox said silently.

"You're a marine?"

"Ex-marine."

"You saw combat, I guess."

"Quite a lot of it. One tour in Cowait, two in Afurnistan."

Delgato gave a low whistle. "Bet that brought you a lot of honors."

The fox gave a guffaw. "It brought me a dishonorable discharge."

Delgato blinked. "What?"

The fox shrugged. "Let's just say my term of service didn't end on a high note."

"What happened?"

The fox looked up at the much taller lion again. "Don't you have more important things to do than to badger me with questions about my past?"

"I don't know. Right now, you are the most interesting thing around."

"Are you sure?"

Delgato frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Two tigers, ten o'clock. At least one of them is armed, with a shotgun, if I may haphazard a guess. If the other guy has a gun, too, it must be pretty small."

Delgato looked up in surprise. Looking in the indicated direction, he spotted two tigers wearing long black coats, a rarity in this kind of fine weather.

And his sixth sense fired up immediately. "Uh oh!"

"My sentiments exactly. You wanna take them down?"

Delgato gave a hiss. "Not an option. I don't see their weapons, so right now, I cannot accuse them of illicit behavior."

The fox responded with a guffaw. "A cop's response. Fortunately, there's more than one way to skin a cat." He looked up at Delgato with a grin. "Sorry, old military slang. Most of our enemies in Afurnistan were felines. No disrespect intended."

"None taken."

At this very moment, the tigers took off, walking towards the fringes of the crowd, in the general direction of an office building. "Shit!" Delgato said. "I think they spotted us."

"Sure they did. I'm following them." He slung the rucksack over his shoulder. "You wanna join me?"

Delgato hesitated, then he shrugged. "Hell, why not? It's not like I have anything better to do right now."

The foxes' gaze swept over their immediate vicinity. "Your three buddies over there can deal with everything else. Come on." He took off at a brisk pace, astonishingly fast for such a small mammal.

Delgato looked around in surprise, detecting the indicated three police officers standing nearby, neither of whom he had spotted before, then he hastened to follow him. "These tigers, do you know them?"

"No, but I know their kind. You know their kind, too, right?"

Delgato nodded fiercely. "Just arrested three of those jerks yesterday."

"I thought you were given the boot."

"I was, but since there are so few police officers left in Zootopia right now, Chief Bogo was more than happy when I volunteered to keep a weather eye open out here."

The fox nodded. "This Chief of yours, he sounds like a very smart mammal."

"That he is." Delgato looked down at the fox. "You haven't told me your name."

The fox shrugged. "It doesn't matter what my name is."

"Oh, I think it does."

With a grin, the fox countered: "What, so you can check whether I have a criminal record?"

Delgato rolled his eyes. "You have given me no reason so far, apart from dressing like a Tom-Goose-Wannabe riding his motorbike next to a jet plane taking off."

The fox just stared at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Come on! You must have seen the movie, too! Everyone has. Tom Goose plays this hotshot young pilot causing trouble at a military …" Upon the foxes' look of incomprehension, he hastily added: "Never mind."

"Whatever you say, copper."

They reached the edge of the crowd and walked over to the building. Before they were able to reach it, Delgato heard two voices, engrossed in a rather heated discussion. "… on! It was just a lion, you know! I can deal with a lion, no problem!"

"Yeah, but what if it was a cop? I'm sure he was!"

"Relax, Simon! Calm down, take a cookie!"

"Take a cookie?" A short pause. "Yes, of course! That's all right, then! Sit down! Have a scone! Make yourself at home." Another pause. "You KLUTZ! If this is a cop, there sure are more of them! What if he has backup? What do we do _then_?"

"Calm down, for fuck's sake! After what Bellwether did to the ZPD, do you think they kept a lion in their ranks?"

Delgato looked down at the fox, only to find to his surprise that the mammal was in the process of undressing. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

"What does it look like to you?" the fox whispered.

"You wanna confront them _in the buff_?"

The fox snorted. "Don't be silly!" He had sat down the rucksack and was quickly pulling out pieces of clothing. "Why don't you go ahead? I'll be with you shortly."

"Go ahead? To do what?"

"I don't know! Talk to them! Entertain them! Sing a song, you know!" With a grin, he added: "Just give a mammal his privacy."

"You're out in the open, on the side of a public road!"

The fox just grinned at him. "You really need to work on your sense of humor. Now, go!"

He had uttered the last words with such an air of command that Delgato found himself proceeding towards the edge of the building before he even realized that he did. Shrugging internally, he walked around the corner …

Only to look directly down the barrel of a Mooseberg 590.

He looked up at the tiger holding the pump-action gun, cursing under his breath.

The mammal was tall, significantly taller than Delgato. And he was shaking like a leaf, so bad in fact that the gun trembled in his paws. "See, I told you!" he shouted at his partner.

The other tiger dipped into one pocket of his coat to produce a small, but nasty-looking pawgun of a type that even the weapon aficionado Delgato had never seen before. Unlike his partner, he seemed to be very calm and confident. A combination which could spell disaster for Delgato. He was a bit smaller than his partner, but probably much more dangerous.

Not liking the odds very much, Delgato decided to just start talking. What else could he do, facing a 12 gauge shotgun? "What's this supposed to be?" he asked.

The smaller tiger guffawed, pointing his gun at Delgato, too. "Are you kidding, flatfoot? We hate cops!"

Delgato gave a snort, trying to figure out how to get out of this alive. "So you think I'm one?"

"Of course you are!"

Delgato hid his grin carefully. _Maybe there is a way._ _Just play along! Buy the fox some time!_ For a second, he wondered when he had begun to think of the fox as a trustworthy ally, given the fact that he had told Delgato to go ahead, right into this mess. And _especially_ given the fact that he had no idea how a tiny arctic fox, even a former marine, might be able to help him here. Banishing the thought, he shook his head. "I'm not. Not anymore. A corrupt sheep saw to that."

"But you were a cop. And cops are always bad for business. Even ex-cops. Who probably run for the fuzz whenever someone wants to do something interesting."

It took Delgato little effort to appear furious, seeing that he still was very angry about the way he had been treated by the council of a city he had sworn to protect. "Maybe, but given the fact that the shitheads at the ZPD refuse to still employ predators, I am disinclined to acquiesce to their requests." When both gave him a stare of incomprehension, he added: "Means no. I won't run for them.

"Then why are you following us?"

Without missing a beat, Delgato said: "Because I saw a sneaky arctic fox following you here, and I thought you might need some help. By the way, where …"

Suddenly another voice piped up: "Is that what you think of foxes, copper? That's not a very nice thing to say."

Both tigers whipped around immediately, searching for the source of that voice. "Who are you?" the tiger with the shotgun shouted. All of a sudden, both tigers seemed to have forgotten about Delgato completely. "I'm warning you - I'm armed."

The bodyless voice gave a chuckle. "Why don't you take your shotgun, shine it up real nice, turn that sumbitch sideways and stick it straight up your candy ass?"

Both tigers froze. "What?" the taller one said.

The bodyless voice continued as if the tiger hadn't spoken. "In case you don't know what's going to happen next, I'll break it down for you: I'm gonna stick your heads so far up your asses you're gonna have to cut holes in your nipples to see."

"Shit!" the smaller tiger said. "That's Arctic Fire!"

"I thought he was dead!" The other tiger seemed to be terrified. Neither of them were caring about Delgato anymore, as if he wasn't even there.

With a sigh, the lion straightened himself, preparing for battle …

A flash of black and white, a thud, a gasp …

Astonished, Delgato looked down at the tiger with the shotgun, only that the weapon was lying on the ground now, disregarded and forgotten. The tiger himself stood bent over double, clutching his stomach in obvious pain. But only for a second.

A well-placed _choku-tsuki_ to his jaw by a white paw encased in a black grappling glove saw to that.

Upon seeing his partner fall down to the ground, senseless, the other tiger cursed, lifting his paw to aim his gun at the arctic fox who had just appeared out of thin air.

An arctic fox clad completely in black. A black short-sleeved hoodie, the hood pulled over the head, black cargo pants. Even his muzzle was hidden behind a piece of black cloth. He was carrying a black rucksack on his back.

The tiger never got a chance to pull the trigger. Before Delgato even had time to blink, the fox had delivered a quick _deashi harai_ , a paw sweep which yanked the legs out from under the tiger. With a yelp of surprise, the tiger fell to the ground like a chopped-down tree. The fox was back on his paws in less than a second, jumped up into the air and directly onto the tiger's chest. Three blisteringly fast open-palm strikes, and the tiger went limp.

Delgato stared down at the fox in complete and utter disbelief. " _You_ are Arctic Fire?"

He had heard the name before, of course. Most police officers had.

Back when he had been stationed at Precinct Five, in Tundratown, the grapevine had been humming about an enforcer who had purportedly been working for one of the crime lords living there. And just like nobody had known who his employer had been - Roberto Orso, Mr. Big and Don Guiseppe Pantera had been considered to be the most likely candidates -, nobody had known the mammal himself. All everybody had known was the name of Arctic Fire. Not even his species had ever been identified exactly.

That was mainly because nobody had ever been able to get more than a glimpse at the mammal before crumbling down in an unconscious heap.

" _Arctic Fire's moving so fast, he can knock out his own shadow_."

Delgato had no idea who had said this first, but somehow, it had stuck.

Amongst cops and criminals, the mammal had been a legend.

Apart from a few exceptions - businessmammals of more than shady reputation mostly -, his victims had invariably been well-known con-mammals, thieves, thugs, and other criminals. Which is why most police officers had considered it to be an internal matter of the criminal community, which in turn was why most cops hadn't been too eager to look at the situation more closely. Nobody had ever filed charges against the mammal, so no police officer had wanted to waste time and resources on trying to find a mammal who was notoriously hard to even spot.

But everybody had had his very own speculations.

He had been an arctic mammal, that one had been obvious. But nobody had ever guessed it could have been an arctic fox. Nobody _could_ ever have guessed. Delgato had secretly assumed him to be wolf-sized at least, an arctic wolf or a northern timber wolf maybe. Never, not in a million years, would he have guessed that the bane of criminals was an arctic fox who wasn't even exceptionally big or tall.

Then, some two years ago, he had disappeared without a trace.

Most had assumed that he had died.

Obviously not.

"I really need to shake off the rust," the fox said, obviously deciding to ignore what Delgato had said, and pulled the cloth down from over his muzzle.

"What do you mean?" Delgato asked.

The fox turned towards him. "If not for the mask, the last guy may have recognized me. I'm getting slow."

 _If that was slow, I would have loved to see you in your prime_. Delgato folded his arms over his chest. "I would recognize you."

"So what?"

"Aggravated battery in concomitance with grievous bodily harm. At least three years jail time, probably more. _Certainly_ more, since you would probably be considered a repeat offender."

To his chagrin, the fox merely smiled. "And of course you have solid proof for your claims, haven't you?"

Delgato took a deep breath, then he sighed. "Thanks for saving my ass here. And sorry for calling you sneaky."

"You're welcome. And it's okay, I _am_ sneaky." He proceeded to take off the hoodie and cargo pants again, pulling his blue jeans and jacket from out of his rucksack. "I may be wrong, but I seem to recall seeing the smaller one in front of the Midnight Express, working as a bouncer. You know the place?" He was referring to a honky-tonk bar in Happytown, infamous for frequent brawls and drug trafficking.

"Of course! I've been down to that hellhole more often than I can remember. What about the other one?"

The fox snorted. "No idea. They're probably related, they look remarkably similar. In any case, he's just as big a fuckwit as the other guy is."

"You have any idea what they wanted?"

"Does it matter? They were armed, they were threatening you. Enough to put them in the can, I wager." He put on the blue jeans again.

"What's with the disguise?"

The fox sighed. "Let's just say that only very few people ever saw the face behind the mask, and I intend to keep it that way. "

Delgato frowned. "You're on the run? Is that why you had it with you?"

The fox hesitated, then he nodded. "I am. As a matter of fact, I usually don't go out in public at all. Today was an exception. I thought, among all those other mammals, I might be safe."

"From whom?"

"None of your business. Just someone who's very angry at me, someone who knows what my face looks like, so I have to lay low and sing small." He had put on his leather jacket again and was in the process of stuffing the black clothes back into the rucksack. Nothing about his looks suggested that he was the same guy who had laid waste to such a huge number of mammals. To the untrained eye, he looked positively harmless. Only his stance, his movements, betrayed the warrior to the seasoned martial artist.

"Someone powerful enough to take even you down?"

"I tend to think so, yes."

"So what you did here could ruin your day, right?"

The fox shot him a look. "Not if you can keep your trap shut about this." He put on his Aviator shades, hiding his bright eyes behind them.

Delgato hesitated, then he nodded. "I think you deserve it, seeing what you did here." He pointed at the unconscious tigers. "What about them?"

The fox snorted. "Do you really think they will talk? Especially when put behind bars?"

Delgato had to agree with the fox. "Probably not."

The fox slung the rucksack over his shoulder again. "So if you'll excuse me, I need to make myself scarce." He turned away.

"Wait!" Delgato said. "You can't leave me here like this! I need your statement first!"

"Ah! So there _is_ a sense of humor in you!" the fox said mockingly. Turning around again, he said with a stern voice: "No dice, copper!"

"You don't need to give me your name. I can call you an anonymous informer, and nobody will ask any questions."

"I'm not cooperating with the fuzz."

Delgato looked down at the tigers. "I guess you just did."

The fox gave a growl. "I have taken down two armed jerks who were up to no good. You being a cop has nothing to do with it."

"If you feel this strongly about police officers, why did you help me? And don't tell me you wanted to take down two armed villains just for the fun of it."

The fox paused. "You think _I'm_ a villain, right?"

"The thought had crossed my mind. I mean, you are Arctic Fire! You've been working for a crime lord, you've beaten at least 140 mammals to a pulp!"

"So you automatically consider me the bad guy, right?" The fox straightened himself. "Wrong. Contrary to what you might think, I was a law-abiding citizen once."

"What happened?"

The fox shrugged. "Life just had the unfortunate habit of throwing boulders in my path."

"Is this why you became an enforcer?"

The fox turned away again. "If you think you can make me tell you the story of my life, this conversation is over."

"And what should I tell Bogo?"

The fox stopped to look over his shoulder, grinning. "Come on! A lion well-versed in martial arts can take down two tigers, even when they're armed." He gave him a two-digits-salute and walked towards the corner.

"Hey! Could you at least tell a police officer about this?"

Again, the fox paused, this time without turning back. Delgato added: "I neither have pawcuffs nor a walkie-talkie with me, not even a cell phone."

"No cell phone?"

Delgato shrugged. "I'm old-school. When I talk to other mammals, I prefer the conversation to be face-to-face."

"Will do, copper." With that, the fox disappeared from view.

For one second, Delgato felt the urge to run after him, but then he shrugged. The fox had saved his bacon out there. Least he could do was keep his mouth shut about him, if that was what he wanted.

Who was the mammal he had angered so much that he was forced to go into hiding? His (probably former) employer? A former victim out for vengeance?

Emptying both the shotgun and the pistol (on closer inspection, it turned out to be a garrucha-type double-barreled weapon, although he had never seen the model before), Delgato finally sat down on the floor next to the two tigers and waited for somebody to come to his assistance.

He didn't need to wait long. After less than a minute, a tamaraw walked around the corner. He looked very young - probably fresh from the academy. "Hello?" he said, looking down at Delgato. "Who're you?"

Delgato got up. "Frederick Delgato, formerly of Precinct One."

"Ah, Detective Delgato. I heard about you." He offered his hoof. "Officer Randall Mindoro, Precinct Two."

 _Precinct Two - Rainforest District. Explains the getup_ , Delgato thought. The mammal was wearing what appeared to be a slightly oversized raincoat, which made him look quite ludicrous, particularly in the current weather. "Pleased to meet you."

Mindoro looked down at the tigers. "A tiny arctic fox told me a police officer had taken down two criminals and was asking for assistance."

Delgato hesitated. He disliked adorning himself with borrowed plumes. Accepting the praise for taking down two armed and dangerous criminals when he had in fact not even moved a single muscle - was this really how he wanted things to go down?

Then again, the fox didn't want to be involved in the aftermath.

 _Would he be? It's not like I know his name, or where he went._

"I do need your help, but it wasn't me who took them down. The tiny arctic fox you saw back there, he did all the work for me."

Mindoro gave him a grin. "Yeah, and monkey's might fly out of my butt."

Delgato paused. "Have you ever heard the name Arctic Fire?"

"Arctic Fire?" Mindoro frowned. "Is that a name? Who should this be?"

 _He's too young. He doesn't know._ Delgato shrugged. "Forget it. You have pawcuffs and a walkie-talkie."

"Sure I have."

"Okay then, I suggest you get down to work."

"Of course, Detective."

Delgato snorted. "I'm not a detective anymore."

"Really? How comes?"

Delgato just stared at him. "You didn't just say that!"

Now Mindoro was visibly confused. "What do you mean?"

 _Not only is he too young, he has obviously lived under a rock for the last three months._

"Hello? Bellwether? Predators being harassed and humiliated? Predator police officers suspended by the City Council? Predators being beaten up by prey? Does any of that ring a bell?"

Mindoro's face fell. "Oh."

Delgato shook his head. "Just do your stuff. And make sure the pawcuffs fit tightly. One of them is a bouncer at a seedy bar and probably well-versed in self-defense."

"Not good enough to defeat you, that's for sure."

Delgato rolled his eyes and turned away.

 _You fit in really well in Precinct Two, buddy!_

Most mammals who weren't born in the rainforest or some similar humid climate disliked getting their fur wet, which is why working at the Rainforest District was notoriously unpopular among police officers. For this reason, being reassigned to Precinct Two was usually considered a demotion. The precinct purportedly consisted mostly of mammals who haven't made it in one of the other districts, mainly because of being borderline incompetent. Rumor even had it that a sizeable portion of their duty roster was made up out of police officers who had been transferred there for disciplinary reasons.

Delgato had no idea if this was true. All he knew was that he was suddenly longing for the gruff competence of McHorn, the friendly manner of Clawhauser, even the harsh demeanor of Bogo.

And speaking of Bogo … wasn't that his voice?

Delgato listened, hard.

" _To the contrary, Caballus. I'm in full accordance with the law, unlike Merino, Brooks, and Hirvi_."

 _What the blazes …?_

He looked over to Mindoro who, thankfully, looked competent enough to put pawcuffs on the tigers. Deciding that he didn't need help at the moment, Delgato strained his ears. Another voice piped up, a voice he didn't recognize: " _Is there anything else, Chief? Can't you see we're busy?_ "

Bogo's grand voice overpowered the other mammal's voice with ease. " _Of course there is something else, and you know it, Caballus_."

 _Wait a second_ , Delgato thought. _Francine told us that Bogo's at City Hall, and that the Council is in session._

 _Don't tell me …_

He walked over to the corner until the view screens came into view. And sure enough, they showed the enormous figure of Chief Bogo. He was obviously standing in the middle of City Hall's Council Chamber, and he looked more than ready to raise hell. " _Yesterday evening, three mammals named Frederick Delgato, Markus Grizzoli, and James Fangmeyer prevented an assassination attempt at one of_ you." He pointed at the assembled councilmammals.

" _What?_ " someone shouted.

" _You heard me, councilmammal! Three criminals had decided to take the law into their own paws, taking down one of you in retaliation for what you did to predators over the course of the last months_."

" _They were predators, too, I take it_ ," someone said and snorted. " _Figures! I'm telling you, predators are dangerous_ …"

" _I would shut my trap if I were you, Jimela! The three mammals who apprehended the criminals are predators themselves! Frederick Delgato is a lion, Markus Grizzoli a polar bear and James Fangmeyer a tiger. Who's your dangerous mammal now?_ "

Bogo straightened himself to his full height, and Delgato involuntarily took a step back. He had known the Chief for years, but never before had he seen him this angry, this savage. " _I am a cape buffalo_ ," Bogo thundered. " _I eat_ plants _! I am considered_ prey _! And believe me, Jimela, I am the most dangerous mammal you have ever set your eyes upon!_ "

 _I don't know_ , Delgato thought _. Maybe a tiny arctic fox could give you a run for your money, Chief!_

" _These three predators you are so afraid of, they risked their lives to protect you. And you have the audacity to call them dangerous?_ " Bogo seemed to be beside himself with wrath. Suddenly, Delgato was more than happy to only see him over the view screen.

" _Well_ ," a panda bear sitting near Bogo said, " _would you please extend our heartfelt thanks to the three mammals?_ "

Bogo looked down at him. " _You could do it yourself, Mister Speaker, by reinstating them_."

" _I beg your pardon?_ "

" _Up until a few weeks ago, Detective Delgato, Detective Grizzoli and Officer Fangmeyer were on Precinct One's duty roster. Until you decided to force me to suspend them indefinitely, simply because of the fact that they happen to be predators. The three of them were among the best crime fighters on my team. And they were not the only ones I had to suspend or reassign. All you did that day was weaken the ZPD, and it shows_.

" _Every precinct in Zootopia has suffered. The staffing level of Precinct One is stretched to capacity. The number of petty crimes like theft or vandalism has risen exponentially_."

" _Sorry, Chief, but the figures tell a different story_ ," someone claimed.

" _Of course they do, Webster, seeing that Bellwether planted a few moles in our precinct who have been busy falsifying reports. For example, there was a savage attack on two harmless foxes by members of Aries Security, one of the reasons why we have arrested Robert Aries. And there also was the case of the young lynx girl who was clobbered to death by the son of former councilmammal Matilda Swinton. Both cases, and numerous others, had been deleted from our official records by several police officers who were in cahoots with Bellwether. Our preliminary investigation into the matter suggests that the crime rate in Zootopia has, on the whole, risen by almost 70 percent, but most of them never came to light, courtesy of three corrupt police officers who are now awaiting trial. A very inconvenient time to thin out my duty roster. We have absolutely no mammals to spare to truly fight crime, especially given the current situation_."

" _What do you mean?_ "

Bogo pointed at the wall. " _Out there, tens of thousands of mammal are protesting against you and your lame-ass politics, against the open harassment of predators, against being vilified and threatened. And while the vast majority of them is peaceful, there is a lot of anger in the air. And all you do is sit here, sip coffee and debate endlessly whether predators are dangerous or not. In case you're not aware of the severity of the situation, we have a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse out there! Right now, as we speak, almost one hundred mammals patrol the area, looking for troublemakers, trying their hardest to prevent the outbreak of a riot. More than half of them are police officers from Precincts One, Two, Four, Five, and Seven. But some of them are former police officers who volunteered to make sure this doesn't get out of paw. Police officers that you forced me to suspend. They risk their lives to serve the city they have sworn to protect, receiving nothing in return. Even worse, you persistently kick them in the teeth when you should rather award them with medals!_ "

" _What do you want from us, Chief?_ " the horse sitting next to the panda shouted.

" _You know darn well what I want, Caballus! I want you to take back all the laws you passed because a criminal made you believe they were good, which they're not. I want my officers back_." He folded the arms over his chest. " _And I'm not leaving until you give me what I want!_ "

 _Wow! What a performance!_

Somehow Delgato couldn't help thinking that Bogo's appearance in front of the City Council - and thus in front of all of Zootopia - had been pre-planned. His words came a bit too quickly, his thoughts too well structured. He had pondered on this, and he had pondered long and hard.

And the result was a City Council whose every member was shaking in fright because a cape buffalo had threatened them with a vicious rampage.

" _It is not for you to decide what this Council does or not!_ " Caballus said.

" _No, but I am a citizen of this city, and thus you answer to me! That's what democracy is all about. You are voted into office, you make decisions, and afterwards you explain to me why you did it. So tell me, Caballus, why did you force me to suspend a group of police officers with unblemished reputation and outstanding performance records? I'm waiting!_ "

Caballus hesitated, but another mammal piped up immediately: " _Well, we had a group of savage predators_ …"

Bogo interrupted him rudely. " _That's bullshit, Jimela, and you know it! They were only turning savage because a prey mammal, a_ SHEEP _, decided they should. None of the victims had a criminal record. They all were, for all intents and purposes, normal guys, parents, employees, like the next guy you meet on the streets. One is a social worker, for crying out loud! None of them had a history of violence. None of them decided to turn savage. They. Were. Poisoned_. _Do I really need to hammer this fact into your thick skull?_ "

Suddenly, Delgato was reminded of where he was, because upon hearing Bogo lambast a councilmammal, a loud cheer erupted in front of the view screen. Obviously he had said what everybody out there was thinking, too.

" _Do you want to antagonize me, Chief?_ " the mammal, a topi, said.

" _No, I want you to do what needs to be done!_ " He turned towards Caballus. " _So get a move on! I don't have all day!_ "

" _It's not that easy, Chief_ ," Caballus said. " _We have an agenda, you know_."

Bogo raised an eyebrow. " _Didn't you just tell us a few minutes ago that you were making the agenda up as you go? So, change it!_ "

 _This could get interesting_ , Delgato thought.

* * *

 **And this is where I'm stopping this for the time being. To be continued very, very soon … I hope!**

 **Contrary to what you might think, I had a lot of fun writing this. It was a laborious process, especially given the circumstances, still it was fun.**

 **Now, the two characters. The first one is the panda Liu Shumeng. The name "Shumeng" (which translates to "dawn sprout") was suggested to me by Dirtkid123. It's a first name, but according to Chinese naming conventions, the last name is given first. So Liu's the last name and Shumeng the first one. (And before you ask, no, I don't know Mandarin or any other East Asian language. The only languages I know are German and English.) I opted on Liu as the last name, in honor of both Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate who died a few weeks ago after being held in captivity as a political prisoner by the Chinese government for more than 14 years, and Liu Xiang, the Chinese athlete, Olympic champion and former world record holder over the 110 m Hurdles. And of course Liu Shumeng had to be a panda, since they're native to China. Thanks for allowing me to use the name, Dirtkid123!**

 **(On a side note, I like the idea of Zootopia being some sort of melting pot for all kinds of different nationalities. Much like the U.S. of A., which basically are a country consisting of a few survivors of indigenous groups and a huge number of descendants of immigrants from several European countries, my version of Zootopia consists of mammals of all species and all nationalities, coming together in one single location to live together in peace and harmony, at the very location the first watering hole had been, ages ago. Which is why someone like Liu Shumeng really fits into this story excellently.)**

 **The other character, the arctic fox going by the nickname of Arctic Fire, was suggested to me by tweiler18. He'll make a return later in this story, which is when he'll receive a (real) name and a proper background story, and he'll also feature in "Hammer to Fall." The nice thing is, both name and background story were provided to me already - I didn't need to strain my gray matter all that much. It was tweiler18 who developed the character in his entirety, right down to his clothing. I merely added a few bits and pieces here and there, the rest was given to me as a gift, so I could make good use of him here. And use him I will, trust me, tweiler18! Thank you very much!**

 **Speaking of which, I just realized that I just wrote "later in this story." Yes, the story is far from being complete! The basic story will be complete after the next two chapters are published, but there still is some unfinished business I need to take care of, a line I need to draw from this story to my other ones.**

 **Thomas Cowam, the patron of the Children's Hospital, is based on Thomas Coram, who created what is probably the oldest facility for children's care in the world, the Foundling Hospital in Bloomsbury, London, back in 1739. Just needed a bit of fursonification.**

 **The name of the aardwolf, Tyler Cristata, is based on the scientific name of his species,** ** _Proteles cristata_** **. One of my cousins succumbed to leukemia some thirty years ago, so I like to think Tyler survives the ordeal. (Come to think of it, being a relative of mine seems to be hazardous to your health …)**

 **"** **Headbanger's Ball" was by far and away my most favorite MTV show. Full stop. I'll never understand why they cancelled it - and what they present as the show now pales in comparison to what they did in the Nineties. (On top of that, I'll admit that I had somewhat of a crush on Vanessa Warwick, the show's European host. *sigh* Good days!)**

 **Katanga, Rebecca's maiden name, is based on the former province of the DR Congo. A subspecies of lions is named after that region.**

 **Can you guess where I found the last name of Gerard "Jerry" Gusteau? The nod to Tom and Jerry is, of course, too obvious to even mention. Which is why I really can't understand why I just wrote this. ;-)**

 **There are several quotes hidden in this chapter The first one appeared in the book "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Have fun finding it!**

 **Another quote can be found in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean." Probably easy to find though.**

 **Yet another quote can be found in the movie "Wayne's World." Not too difficult either, I wager.**

 **Another quote came from the insanely funny and witty movie "Monty Python's Life of Brian." Another easy one, I guess.**

 **When talking about Arctic Fire's clothing (his civilian clothing, not his fighting gear), I guess you know which movie and actor I'm referring to, don't you?**

 **Much like Gnuganda, a name I have used several times in the past, the country Nageria is a pun on the German word for a special kind of mammal, in this case rodents, "Nager." Both names actually stem from the German dub of the movie itself.**

 **Most other names you'll find in here are based on the scientific names of the given species, so if you're interested, just log onto Wikipedia and search for them.**

 **And now for something completely different! (Thanks, Monty Python, for giving me that one!)**

 **Have you guys checked out the "Sly Bunny / Zootopia Remix (in the style of Pogo)" by Smuffy yet? If not, open your browser and go to YouTube RIGHT NOW! The video is truly sensational! It must have taken Smuffy ages to do this.**

 **And while we're at it, you should also check out the insanely good parody cover "Sly Fox & Dumb Bunny" by Daniel "Shadels" Alvarez. Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" isn't necessarily one of my favorite songs, but the cover is just awesome! The lyrics fit both the song and the movie so well, it's outright scary!**

 **Next on our agenda: Finishing that blasted council session!**

 **Until the next time! Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	14. Chapter Fourteen - Decisions

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Amazing news! My dear friend DrummerMax64 has done it again: This story is featured on the Zootopia News Network, and has been since May 29! Had no idea - comes with being preoccupied with unfortunate events. They also added artwork to the story, by Nightsy01, which I'm going to use for this story from this moment forth. Please check out Nightsy01's stuff on DeviantArt - it's truly awesome! Wish I could draw like this … And a huge, humongous "Thank you!" goes out to the staff of ZNN. Never thought my stuff could be this popular …**

 **By the way, with the last chapter, which was more than 17,000 words long - my personal record so far -, the story smashed the 100k+ words barrier! Wooo! Way to go, Jens!**

 **The rate I'm going, it will be twice as long when I'm finally done. And to think this started as a small doodle …**

 **These are the stats thus far: Almost 16,600 views, 147 reviews, 87 favorites, and 132 alerts. Being featured on ZNN, TV Tropes and the likes have really boosted these stats! Thank you yet again for making my day!**

 **These fine mammals have honored me by reviewing the last chapter: Combat Engineer, Dirtkid123, Foxlover91, Robert Escher, Galaxyexplorer74, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, Story. Writer. 2015, HawkTooth, hellion117, and DrummerMax64. And thanks also for your condolences in regards of my personal losses. You really warm the cockles of my heart!**

 **Speaking of DrummerMax64, yes, my friend has struck yet again! On top of putting this story on ZNN, DrummerMax also found all (!) hidden references and quotes in the last chapter, those being:**

 **1\. Jerry Gusteau's last name can be found in the PIXAR movie Ratatouille. In the movie, Auguste Gusteau is the deceased chef whose ghost helped Remy become a chef himself.**

 **2\. The quote from "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is: "I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me." This is how Harry counters Hermione's admonishments.**

 **3\. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" quote is: "I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request. Means no." Captain Hector Barbossa at his absolute best! Or worst. Can't decide which.**

 **4\. The quote from "Wayne's World" is "Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt," said by Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), I think, but I may be mistaken. It's been ages since I saw the movie!**

 **5\. In "Monty Python's Life of Brian," Reg (John Cleese) reads Brian (Graham Chapman) the riot act for leading the Roman soldiers to their hideout, like this: "That's all right, then! Sit down! Have a scone! Make yourself at home. You KLUTZ!" One of my most favorite scenes in the movie, along with almost everything else. Man, this movie's almost too good to be true!**

 **6\. And finally, Arctic Fire's garb is, of course, a reference to how Tom Cruise looks like in "Top Gun."**

 **Excellent work, as always! Congratulations to you, DrummerMax! The furce is obviously very strong in you, young mammal - but you're not a Jedi yet! One day, I'll have you stumped!**

 **And now for part two of the council session. And again, this is promising to be lengthy …**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

 **Decisions**

 _The wind of change blows straight into the face of time, like a stormwind that will ring the freedom bell for peace of mind._

Scorpions: "Wind of Change" (Written by Klaus Meine, from the album "Crazy World," Vertigo/Mercury, 1990)

* * *

 **City Hall, Council Chamber, City Center, Zootopia**

While watching Chief Bogo wiping the floor with Gustavo Jimela, Cameron Caballus had to fight the urge to shake his head. And when Bogo finally looked at him, he was very close to shouting at him to stick to the goddamn plan.

What on Earth had motivated Bogo to deviate from their scheme? He should have appeared after Lionheart was reinstated! His sole purpose in all this was to rattle the Council, threatening them with arrest, if needed, thus giving Lionheart the leverage to tear this Council apart.

"So get a move on! I don't have all day!" Bogo stared at Caballus with superior disdain.

Caballus returned the stare, trying to convey his message: _What are you doing, Chief?_ "It's not that easy, Chief," he said in a desperate attempt to buy himself some more time. "We have an agenda, you know."

It would probably have worked under every other circumstance, but right now, it didn't. And of course Bogo had to call his bluff: "Didn't you just tell us a few minutes ago that you were making the agenda up as you go? So, change it!" He looked absolutely adamant.

And suddenly, Caballus understood.

They had discussed the reelection of Lionheart. They had discussed the possible dissolution of the City Council to make way for reelections.

But neither Lionheart nor Caballus had thought of discussing the suspended predator officers.

And now Bogo was just taking matters into his own hooves.

Caballus had thought they could simply use Bogo to achieve their goals. He hadn't taken into account that this could very well work both ways.

Bogo wanted, no, he _needed_ his officers back, the officers Bellwether and her cronies had forced him to suspend. And he believed he had every right to do so, especially given the current circumstances - and deep down inside, Caballus had to agree with him. When Lionheart and Caballus had lured him in to help them achieve their goals, he had seen the chance to get what he wanted. And of course he had acted on it immediately.

Their plan, it didn't matter to him at all. It had just given him the leverage to achieve his own goals.

And the public to watch the proceedings.

 _If I deny him this, in front of all of Zootopia, my goose is cooked! I need to play along!_

 _Just long enough to get Lionheart back into office._

Simply by appearing ahead of time and stating his own goal, Bogo was forcing Caballus's hooves.

 _You are one clever buffalo, Chief!_

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

It was the bane of her existence.

Every time Christine Caballus was in the middle of watching an interesting movie or listening to good music, her cell phone demanded her attention right when the action became most suspenseful. Her mother in particular had a knack for calling at the worst possible moment.

Granted, it wasn't a movie she was watching, and it wasn't her cell phone that was beeping, but Dispatch's radio unit, which in turn also meant it couldn't have been her mother molesting her with overzealous parental care. But the effect was pretty much the same.

She heaved a sigh, pushed past Clawhauser, who had at some point rounded the counter to step next to her, so he was able to watch the proceedings better - something which hadn't even properly registered with her so far -, and pressed the button. "This is Precinct One, Dispatch," she said into the microphone attached to the radio unit. When nobody answered her call, she added: "Go ahead!"

An voice which managed to sound both eager and intimidated at the same time piped up. " _Uhm, Dispatch, this is Officer Randall Mindoro of Precinct Two. I have two unconscious tigers here. I could really need some help here. I mean, I'm requesting immediate … yes, immediate assistance!_ "

Caballus made a frown. "What do you mean, you have two unconscious tigers?"

" _Uhm, well_ …"

"What's your 10-20, officer?"

" _Uh, sorry, my what?_ "

Caballus clicked her tongue in irritation. It was obvious the mammal had never heard of proper communications procedures. Even she, who had, until a few weeks ago, never worked as dispatcher or as a beat cop, knew the ten-codes by heart, and she had always assumed that every police officer did. "What's your location?"

" _Oh. Well, yes._ _I can't see the street sign from here. A street just off the Austin J. Robin Plaza. There's a huge office block at the corner leading to the plaza itself_."

"Probably Rue Morgue," Clawhauser suggested.

"Probably." Mastiff nodded. "Good. Now, these two tigers. Why are they unconscious?" He looked at Caballus and made a motion for her to ask the officer the question.

Caballus nodded and said into the microphone: "Officer, why are the two tigers unconscious?"

" _I guess that Detective Delgato took them down_."

Mastiff's eyes widened. "Delgato? Is he there, too? Can you give him the radio so I can talk to him?"

" _Uh, who's there?_ "

Mastiff motioned for Caballus to give him the radio unit. "Officer, this is Major Adimar Mastiff, Homicide Squad, Precinct One."

The mammal on the other end of the connection choked audibly. " _Oh, er, Major! What an honor!_ "

Mastiff grinned at Clawhauser, who shook his head. "At ease, officer. Where is Detective Delgato?"

" _Uh, no idea, sir. He ordered me to put pawcuffs on the two tigers, and when I looked up again, he was nowhere to be seen_."

"He's probably watching what's happening in City Hall over the view screens," Caballus suggested.

Mastiff nodded. "You can bet he is. Now, officer, why don't you calm down, take a deep breath and just start at the beginning?"

" _Well, I was, er, just on my patrol on the plaza, looking for mammals who were acting conspicuously, when an arctic fox walked up to me. No idea how he knew I was a ZPD officer. Anyway, he told me that a police officer was waiting in a side street, and that the officer was in need of assistance. I walked over there and found Detective Delgato and two tigers who were both unconscious. The Detective asked me to put pawcuffs on them and call for assistance. And, uh, like I said, when I looked up again after having pawcuffed the tigers, he was gone_."

"Understood. Anything else?"

" _Yes. It seems like the tigers were carrying illegal weapons, a shotgun and an ancient looking pistol_."

"Copy that. The weapons are secured?"

" _They are, sir. Detective Delgato has unloaded the ammunition_."

"Excellent. You have your tranq gun with you?"

" _Uh, yes, sir_."

"Good. You guard the tigers, and in case they wake up, I order you to make good use of your tranq gun. We'll be sending assistance your way as soon as assistance is available. Which may take some time, given the fact that our staffing level is so thin. Over."

" _Uh, yeah, sir, will do_."

Mastiff grinned. "Oh, and just so you know, when you are given an order or a piece of information, you respond by saying _Aye aye, sir_ , or _Acknowledged_ , or _Understood_ , or just _10-4_. A simple _will do_ won't do. Understood?"

" _Uh, yes, of course, sir?_ "

"What was that?"

" _Oh, sorry, sir. Acknowledged, sir_."

"Good. Carry on! Over."

" _I will, sir. Mindoro over! No, out! Er, Mindoro out! O-over and out! Mindoro! Oh, damn it!_ "

Clawhauser looked at Mastiff with a grin as the wolf gave the radio unit back to Caballus. "You enjoyed this, didn't you, sir?"

Mastiff shrugged. "I'm not the guy to rub rules and regulations under anyone's snouts, but this kid's got a hell of a lot to learn about rock and roll!" He looked at Caballus. "Is there anyone available here?"

Caballus shrugged as well. "We should just call one of the officers situated at City Hall. That's the easiest solution. Most officers are …"

Clawhauser interrupted her. "Or we could just ask the mammals here." He pointed at the revolving door.

Caballus looked up to see the three freshly arrested councilmammals walk through the revolving door, led - not overly gently - by Pennington, Trunkaby, Rhinowitz, and McHorn. None of them seemed to be too pleased with the arrangements - the councilmammals were upset at having been arrested, especially under the watchful eyes of the public, the officers were angry because the councilmammals were very vocal in expressing her displeasure at the treatment. The black sheep in particular seemed to strain against the firm grip Rhinowitz had on her while she shouted at him: "Believe me, when my lawyers are through with you, you will never find any work in Zootopia ever …"

Mastiff cut her short: "Neither you nor your lawyer are in any position to decide what happens to our officers, Merino!"

The sheep eyed him with a steely gaze. "I run the most successful clothing company in all of Zootopia and the Tri-Burrows! I am a councilmammal! My voice is heeded all over the world! Who are you to …"

Mastiff interrupted her again. Exposing his fangs, he growled: "I am your worst nightmare, Merino! I am the one who puts you in the can, and there's no lawyer who'll be able to get you out of there in the foreseeable future. We have enough dirt on you to get you out of circulation for a long time!"

She snorted. "Lies and fabrications! I want to see my lawyer!"

Mastiff grinned at her. "So it's not true that there was a conspiratorial meeting between you, Dawn Bellwether, Robert Aries and former officers Cedric Ramington, Moses Argali, and Michael Fleecewood?" When Merino opened her mouth, he added: "Don't deny it! We have both the testimonies of Ramington and Fleecewood, plus we have pictures from a surveillance camera, proving the meeting took place. We even know what you were talking about. Tell me, how does it feel to organize savage attacks on innocent predators?"

"It's all fabricated," she countered, but her voice had started to tremble.

"Somehow I can't shake the feeling that you'll have a hard time convincing the judge that your claims are correct." He looked at the officers who had brought them to Precinct One. "Take them away! We'll process them later. Not you, McHorn!"

While the other officers led the prisoners towards the detainment cells, McHorn stopped dead in his tracks. "Sir?"

"You are going to the protest rally to help a friend, Brian."

"A friend?"

Mastiff smiled at him. "Seems like Detective Delgato made a few arrests."

McHorn's face lit up. "Freddie? Tell him I'm on my way! Where is he?"

"We're not too sure. Since he has no radio, he asked another officer to report in, and the mammal wasn't all too clear on his location. Probably Rue Morgue, but we may be mistaken."

McHorn grinned. "How hard can it be to spot a tall lion dressed in black? Any details?"

"Seems like he managed to subdue two tigers who were packing heat."

"Good. I'm off!" True to his word, McHorn turned around and left the building with fast, long strides.

Mastiff looked at Caballus and Clawhauser with a benevolent smile. Caballus stared at the screen with rapt attention, her former hesitation obviously forgotten.

Right now, Clawhauser was giving a cheer. "Yes! Give 'em hell, Chief!"

"What's up?" Mastiff asked. "Have I missed much?"

"I'm afraid so," Caballus said. "Seems like the Chief wants to force the Council to reinstate the predator officers."

Mastiff nodded. He couldn't have agreed more.

Earlier that year, when Mastiff had turned 58, Adrian Bogo had suggested to him that maybe it would be best for the wolf to consider partial retirement. Of course he had disagreed, and emphatically at that, but when he was honest with himself, he had to admit that Bogo had a point. After more than thirty years of duty, more than forty grave injuries, four of which had been life-threatening, one lost eye, one shattered pelvis, and the early stages of arthritis in knees, hips, and shoulders, Mastiff had to agree - his final days as a cop were approaching fast. In the end, Bogo had relented, but at the same time, he had told Mastiff in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't like to see him clock as many extra hours as he had done in the past. "It's time for the young guns to step up to the plate," he had told him. "You should start taking it a bit easier."

Now, about half a year later, there was no more talk of taking it easier. To the contrary.

With their staffing level stretched to the extreme, every high-ranking police mammal, every beat cop, every member of the in-house staff, even every civilian working for the ZPD, had been doing lots and lots of extra hours. If they hadn't, Precinct One would have collapsed long ago. Mastiff's last vacation was all but a distant memory, and with spending so much time on the move, jumping from one catastrophe to the next, his body was giving him a lot of trouble. He was close to complete exhaustion, and pain was his constant companion.

Not that you would have seen it when watching him; the old veteran was much too experienced to let any sign of weakness show.

But Adimar Mastiff prayed to the heavens that Bogo would be successful in his quest to reinstate the predator officers.

 _I could really do with a day off or two!_

He leaned over the counter to look at the screen himself and saw Acting Mayor Caballus straightening himself. " _Excuse me for one second_ ," he said aloud before leaving his chair to talk to the keeper of the minutes. Conversing with him silently for a few seconds, the keeper looked at his computer, made an entry and took several notes on a slip of paper, which he gave to Caballus. The horse looked at the small piece of paper with a nod, returned to his chair and took a deep breath.

" _Well, it seems I must rescind my resignation from this post for the moment. I'm hereby filing a new motion, reference number, uhm, 2016-dash-0859, to be decided today! The motion is to nullify motions_ ," he looked at the slip of paper again, " _2016-dash-0518 and 2016-dash-0519, motions which were passed by this Council. They deal with the staff of the Zootopian Police Department, particular in regard of predators in its staff. Motion 18 asked for the immediate suspension of predator officers within the ZPD, motion 19 made the suspensions permanent_."

He looked at Liu Shumeng, who got up immediately. " _Thank you, Cameron._ _You heard Chief Bogo, he doesn't want to wait any longer_ ," the panda said. " _This is why I suggest we decide on this motion by acclamation_."

In the back, one councilmammal, a hamster, jumped from his chair onto the table and waved with an absurdly large red piece of cloth to solicit Liu's attention - he needed to use both arms to do it. " _Excuse me, Shumeng, but shouldn't we discuss this first?_ "

" _I was just about to ask exactly …_ "

Bogo interrupted the panda with a snort. " _You have discussed the matter back and forth several times now, Roborovski - the last time was just two days ago! Is that all you wanna do? Just talk? Out there_ ," he pointed at the wall, " _crime is multiplying! Every police precinct, Precinct One in particular, is on the verge of collapse, while crime reigns supreme. Is this how you wanna go down in history? As the councilmammal who stepped aside and watched while Zootopia was strangled by crime? Some message you send to the mammals out there! A fine councilmammal you are, I must say!_ "

To Mastiff's surprise, the councilmammal in question just dropped the piece of cloth and sat down again without a sound, looking quite stricken. "He really got them by the balls," Christine Caballus said with a grin.

Suddenly, Liu turned towards Bogo.

"Or maybe not," Mastiff said slowly.

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

" _With all due respect_ ," Liu Shumeng said, " _but I disagree, Chief. We need to discuss this, at least briefly_."

Bogo looked down at him with annoyance in his eyes - and his voice: " _And why is that, Liu?_ "

" _First of all, things have changed, as you know very well, so we need to ponder the new developments. Shooting from the hip is causing more problems than it solves, and delicate matters like these require some careful consideration. You may not like it, but that's how politics work_." He made a pause. " _But on a more important note, I actually have a question for you, Chief_."

" _Which is?_ "

" _Why have you come here? Of course, you have arrested three councilmammals, and you probably had every right to do so, as much as it pains me to say that. But why have you jumped into the proverbial pool of sharks, confronting the mammals who gave you your job?_ " Obviously not expecting an answer, Liu straightened himself. " _Is it because you seem to think that it is a given that you can force us to give you what you want?_ " He made a pause, obviously purely for effect, because he added in an almost dangerous voice: " _And if so, are you willing to bet your badge on this?_ "

Bogo narrowed his eyes, then he nodded and straightened himself as well, which was much more impressive in his case. " _I am_."

"Wait a second, has Liu just threatened to fire Bogo?" Judy Hopps looked up at the fox standing next to her.

Nick Wilde returned the gaze with his trademark smirk. "Hot air, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Fear not, young bunny! What you see before you is little more than the beginning of the election campaign."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure everybody in there knows that reelections are unavoidable. So they switch to campaign mode. They want to discuss this only because it gives them the opportunity to agree with Bogo. Then they'll decide on giving him everything he asks for, which makes them look good in the eyes of the public, and Bob's your uncle."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Robert's your mother's brother."

Judy chortled. "Smartass! Come to think of it, I _do_ have an uncle named Robert. Or was it two?"

"You don't know?"

"Well, I have more than 200 uncles. Remembering all their names is quite the hassle."

"Lucky you!" Nick gave her a grin. "Are all rabbit families this huge?"

"The old families living the traditional way, they are. Like my family. I can trace our ancestry back to the time of the first colonization of the Tri-Burrows. Records of the first treck reaching the area name one Thaddeus Hopps among the travelers. But most rabbits nowadays are well aware of what happens if we let our numbers go out of control again. Overpopulation means diseases and starvation. So they use all kinds of birth control, especially those not living in one of the rabbit communities. A lot of my brothers and sisters are married already, and none of them want to have more than ten kits, which is a very small number for rabbits, as you know." She grinned. "So don't worry, you're quite safe from the bunny deluge."

"Am I? Ten is not exactly a small number."

Judy grinned. "But better than 276." She became serious again. "You think Bogo is safe?"

"I don't think he is, I _know_ he is. Chief Horny may be appointed by the City Council, but his job has probably never been as safe as it is now. The last thing Blackeyes will do now is fire him. Not with half of Zootopia watching." He made a pause. "Did you have any chance to read a newspaper lately?"

"Not really. I may have seen one headline or another, but I don't think you can call this reading. Why?"

"Well, the newspapers love the Chief right now. He's been called 'the last beacon of integrity' of Zootopia. And he is. Without him, without his efforts to keep Zootopians safe, this city would have fallen into anarchy long ago. That Zootopia managed to go on as a community as long as it did, with so few police officers on duty, that's mainly due to him. At least that what the newspapers say, and what the newspapers say, the public says."

He pointed at the wall behind which the council chamber was situated. "And now the very same public is watching as Bogo lays waste to the City Council. They all see him arrest three more corrupt councilmammals. They all see him trying to force the paws of the councilmammals to do the right thing, to try and make Zootopia safe again, something they want, something they _need_. Fire him now, and you're committing political suicide. No, Bogo's job is as safe as it can be. They won't dare to fire him. If they do, the mammals out there might riot."

"You think it's that bad?"

"Not yet, Carrots, but believe me, things can go south pretty quickly. And when they do, no councilmammal is safe. I don't know if you've followed the news after quitting your job, but life in Zootopia hasn't exactly been a picnic lately. Hadn't it been for the combined efforts of a lot of mammals, we would have had riots long ago. There's a lot of tension in the air. Maybe you haven't felt it, but the people are annoyed, they are fed up with the Council, they want change, improvement. Denying them all this is like pulling the pin out of a paw grenade and hoping against hope that it won't go _Boom!_

"Bogo has picked the perfect moment, the perfect circumstances, for this. Not only is his job safe, he also has all the leverage in the world to give the councilmammals hell. Because if they turn down his demands, all hell might indeed break loose." He pointed at the tiny screen, at Liu. "This is not about Bogo's job, it's about theirs. It's about political survival. And they all know it. Each and every councilmammal wants to keep their seats. Do you think their chances of being reelected are that great when they turn Bogo down now?"

Judy gave him a grin. "Probably not."

Nick nodded. " _Certainly_ not. I'm pretty sure Bogo has planned all this. He was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and he found it. Whatever he may be, he is one clever mammal."

"So what happens now?"

"Not much. Bogo will stand his ground, they will discuss the matter back and forth a bit, if only to express their support for his position. Whatever happens, in the end, Bogo will win. If he doesn't, they can stop the session the very same moment and try to flee, try to save their hides, because the public might gun for them - maybe even literally. You heard what the lion said."

"Which lion? Lionheart?"

"No, the one we met on the plaza. Delgato was his name, right?" Judy nodded. Nick continued: "There probably are more armed mammals out there, and you need just one of them breaking into this building for some serious bloodshed. Most mammals are peaceful, yes, but some of them are out for revenge, out for blood. The councilmammals have no choice. Bogo has presented them with a Royal Flush, and they have nothing in their paws. They will lose, Bogo will win the pot. No problem." He pointed at the screen again. "Just look at Bogo! Does this look like a mammal who expects to lose?"

Judy grinned as she watched her superior officer, back straight, arms folded, an icy stare on his features. "He looks more likely to go on a solitary stampede."

* * *

 **Austin J. Robin Plaza, In Front of City Hall, City Center, Zootopia**

Bogo straightened himself to his full height, took a deep breath and seemed to massively increase in size because of it. " _I am_ ," he said gravely.

Frederick Delgato was only dimly aware of the noise this announcement created. He knew perfectly well that the City Council was unlikely to fire Bogo at this time, not with what was at stake for the councilmammals, but that wasn't why he didn't pay all that much attention.

He had just seen his (former) partner and best buddy on the force.

Brian McHorn approached his friend, arms spread wide. "Freddie," he shouted. "Raising hell as usual?"

Delgato shrugged. "Wasn't me this time, Bri."

McHorn made a frown. "What do you mean? What happened anyway? Major Mastiff only told me that you managed to subdue two armed tigers."

Delgato straightened himself. He had come to the conclusion that it wasn't all that risky for him to mention the help of the arctic fox. Making an inviting gesture, indicating the direction of the street corner, he fell into a slow trot, with McHorn by his side. "Like I said, wasn't me. I was alerted to the presence of two tigers, both of whom appeared to be armed. I followed them and rounded the corner, only to have a gun pointed at me. One of the tigers had a Mooseberg 590, the other one a garrucha-type pistol, but I didn't recognize make or model."

McHorn clicked his tongue in obvious appreciation of the weaponry involved. He and Delgato had bonded over their love for weapons, preferably projectile weapons. Not that they would have wanted to use them, but they both shared the same fascination for the technical mastership involved in their creation, despite the fact that they were invariably built with the single purpose of destroying, injuring, and killing. "How'd you manage to weasel your way out of this?"

"I didn't. The guy who alerted me to the tigers, he did it for me. He took both tigers out."

"Really? Who was it?"

"You are not going to believe it."

McHorn chuckled. "Oh, you're going to find me extremely credulous today."

"It was an arctic fox."

McHorn stopped dead in his tracks. "You're right. I don't believe you. Did he pack heat, too?"

"This guy doesn't need guns, believe me." He made a pause. "Did you ever come across the name Arctic Fire before?"

McHorn squinted, thinking hard. "Wait a second, wasn't that this enforcer who … Are you trying to tell me … Arctic Fire was a _fox_?" He looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"I am."

"I thought he was dead! Who is he?"

Delgato shrugged. "I don't really know. Refused to tell me his name. I only know that he was a marine once. In the Royal Nagerian Navy. He told me so himself."

"Awesome! He took two tigers down?"

"In less than five seconds. I wouldn't have believed it either, hadn't I seen it with my own eyes."

"And what do we do about him?"

Delgato looked at his friend with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Come on! He smacked down more than one hundred mammals! If this doesn't qualify as aggravated battery, I don't know what does."

"So you want to try and arrest him."

"Yes." A pause. "No. Shit! I don't know."

"That's exactly the point, Brian. You could certainly give yourself a pat on the shoulder if you were able to take Arctic Fire down. But firstly, I think he can take out a rhino, no problem. Secondly, I have no idea where he is or where he went. Thirdly, he saved my sorry ass out there. Fourthly, he has avoided capture for more than a decade, so it's unlikely we'll be able to catch him in a hurry. And fifthly, can we really pin everything on him that we think we know? Do we have any proof?"

"Probably not."

Delgato started walking towards the street corner again, with McHorn in tow. "I thought so, too. Maybe he won't be much of a problem in the long run. He told me he's on the run."

"From whom?"

"No idea. His old mob boss? Someone powerful enough to force him into hiding, in any case."

"Must be some enemy."

"My sentiments exactly. Best to steer clear and forget about him."

They had reached the corner and kept walking towards the three mammals waiting there. Only that it wasn't just three mammals anymore. The scene had obviously garnered the attention of several passers-by, and Randall Mindoro was pretty much occupied with trying to get the spectators to get a move on - with little success, apparently.

McHorn's sheer size was much more suited for this.

While the rhino was busy telling nosy mammals to leave the scene immediately, Delgato looked down at the two tigers. They were still out cold, thankfully, and Mindoro had used a rather eclectic assortment of pawcuffs and cable ties to fetter them securely. At least something the tamaraw had been capable of. "Good work, Mindoro," Delgato said.

"Thank you, sir! Had those cable ties with me, in case the pawcuffs don't fit." Mindoro seemed to be very pleased with himself.

Delgato nodded. "If someone would ever be able to invent 'one-size-fits-all' pawcuffs, our job would be much easier."

"That's quite the task," McHorn added, having finally dispersed the crowd of onlookers. "Pawcuffs to fit both mice and elephants?" He looked at Mindoro questioningly.

Delgato introduced the two to each other while taking both weapons and the ammunition, stuffing the small pawgun and the ammunition in the side pockets of his coat while hiding the shotgun inside of it - no reason to cause a mass panic by carrying a non-concealed weapon around. McHorn wasted little time to pull both tigers in the upright position. Since there were still out, the only option they had was to carry the tigers to Precinct One in a firemammal's carry. Which was easy for McHorn, but a bit more difficult for Delgato, as both tigers were bigger and thus heavier than himself. They thanked Mindoro for his assistance and were on their slow way towards Precinct One.

When reaching the plaza, Delgato took in his surroundings with a smile. The erstwhile calm and serene scene was in the early stages of turning into some sort of celebration. After a quick look around, Delgato surmised that something was obviously taking place inside City Hall that pleased the assembled mammals to no end.

"Quite the ruckus," McHorn commented at his side. He turned towards a lone mammal, a female zebra, standing nearby. "Excuse me, ma'am, could you please tell me what's going on?"

The zebra turned around. "Oh, Officer! So good to see you! You made some arrests, I see?"

Delgato made a gesture as dismissive as he was able to make it with the heavy tiger slung over his shoulders. "Just some troublemakers."

"It's what we do at the ZPD," McHorn added with a grin.

"Oh. Thank you all the same! The city's a much safer place because of you. I cannot agree with your Chief more."

"What do you mean?" McHorn asked.

"You haven't seen it?" Delgato asked.

"I was pretty preoccupied with arresting three councilmammals, you see."

"Ah. Bogo is just trying to force the Council to reinstate us."

The zebra's eyes got wide. "Are you one of the suspended police officers?"

"I am, ma'am."

She gave a hiss. "It's such a shame! So good to see that you still uphold the law."

Delgato tried to shrug, but carrying the tiger made this impossible. "I swore an oath to protect this city, and that's what I'm going to do, come hell or high water."

"Maybe you'll be reinstated soon." The zebra pointed at the view screen. "A few councilmammals have already said they agree with the Chief. The panda, Liu, has said so, as did Caballus. They're just about to commence with the voting."

Delgato put the increasingly heavy tiger on the ground next to his feet and stretched his shoulders. "Hang on, but I need to see this."

"Of course," McHorn said, putting his tiger down as well.

The view screen showed Salvador Mutus, a yak and leader of the Green Party, giving his statement. " _Even during the time of most severe crisis_ ," he said with his surprisingly high-pitched voice, " _the Green Party has always been steadfast in its belief that the security of the citizens of Zootopia is of utmost concern, and we have always wholeheartedly rejected Dawn Bellwether's notions of security, which did little to make this city safe. We have always unanimously voted against all the motions proposed by her, and we are not about to stop doing so, now that she is in prison, where she rightfully belongs. I support this new motion with all of my heart, and so does my party. Unanimously_." He sat down again to both the clapping of the councilmammals and the cheer of the mammals assembled on the plaza.

"It's a mere formality," the zebra said. "They all agree. You'll be reinstated."

"Of course they do," McHorn said deadpan. "They all wanna be reelected."

"You can bet," Delgato said. "I hate all this politicizing."

"You and me both."

Liu Shumeng has gotten up again. " _Right. Thank you, Councilmammal Mutus. Any further requests to speak_." He looked around, waiting for a few seconds. " _That is not the case. So. Seeing that Chief Bogo seems to consider this an urgent affair, I again suggest we vote on this by acclamation. Or is anyone here asking for a secret ballot?_ " He waited again. " _That is not the case_.

" _Well. Those in favor of passing_ ," he looked down at a piece of paper lying on the table in front of him, " _motion 2016-dash-0859, as proposed by Acting Mayor Cameron Caballus, may raise their paws or hooves now_."

Delgato held his breath as hooves and paws were slowly raised, a few, some of them, most of them …

Was it all of them? Delgato wasn't sure.

" _Countercheck_ ," Liu said. " _Those in favor of turning down said motion, please give me a show of paws or hooves_."

Nobody raised their limbs.

Delgato nodded as sheer, mindboggling happiness flowed through his veins like a flood of warm water.

" _I observe that the yeas have it_ ," Liu announced. " _I hereby declare that this assembly has passed motion 2016-dash-0859 unanimously_."

The cheer around Delgato following this announcement would have put most cheers heard in a football stadium to shame.

McHorn felt an enormous hoof placed on his shoulder. He looked at his friend, who returned the gaze with a wide grin. "Welcome back, Freddie! Welcome back!"

"Thanks, old buddy!" Delgato said, his throat strangely constricted.

On the screen, Liu turned towards Bogo. " _I take it you are satisfied, Chief_."

Bogo nodded. " _I am glad to see that justice was served_." He cleared his throat, and suddenly he shouted: " _Police officers of Zootopia! I can understand if some of you will want to celebrate this victory tonight._ " He gave one of his rare smiles. " _I must say that I feel like celebrating myself. BUT!_ " He turned serious again and raised one hoof. " _I expect each and every one of you to be present at roll call tomorrow morning, NO excuses! We have a lot of work to do, and I need each and every one of you at the full height of your abilities!_ "

"10-4, Chief," Delgato said with a grin as he watched Bogo nod towards Liu and turn around, heading towards the exit.

Only to be stopped by Lionheart.

But Delgato didn't see this anymore. He was looking down at the tiger he had been carrying, who was obviously slowly coming around, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings, taking in the cheering mammals. He tried uselessly to free his paws. "So you're a pig after all," he spat at Delgato.

Delgato crouched down next to him. "Don't call me pig," he snarled. "I'm a lion and an officer of the Zootopian Police Department. And you are under arrest, you son of a bitch!"

* * *

 **City Hall, Council Chamber, City Center, Zootopia**

"You devious little bugger," Lionheart said with a grin. "Congratulations! You'd make a really good politician!"

Bogo snorted at this assessment. "Apart from the fact that I hate politicians."

"Come on! You saw the opportunity, you grasped it. That's what politics is all about. See the opportunity and act on it. This was perfect."

"If you say so." He looked down at the pieces of paper Lionheart held in his paw.

Lionheart looked down, too. "They don't suspect anything?"

"Not that I can tell."

"Good. I want them to be as surprised as the citizens will be."

"Well, it certainly is unprecedented. But you understand that I need to do it."

"Of course. I merely give you the go-ahead."

" _If_ you are reelected."

Lionheart gave him a toothy grin. "Oh, I will be. After this, I'm certain of it." He made a pause. "Not least because of you. You fought for me."

Bogo shook his head. "I didn't. Hopps and Wilde did. Right after we arrested Bellwether, they told me that you were the best option. And while I agreed with them, I didn't openly support this. I can't. Not while being the Chief of Police."

Lionheart nodded. "I understand, AJ. But that's okay. After all, that's your job, isn't it?"

"It sure is." Bogo turned towards Higgins. "You know what you need to do now?"

"Of course," the hippo said immediately. "When should I return?"

Bogo looked at Lionheart, who shrugged. "At some point in the middle of Leodore's speech, I'd say. Use your own judgment, Higgins."

"Yes, sir." Higgins turned around and left the Council Chamber.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

Adimar Mastiff took in the scene in front of him with a smile.

The horse and the cheetah standing behind the counter were hugging each other with shouts of joy.

File in paw and whistling a happy tune, he left Caballus and Clawhauser to their little celebration, walking back to his office. He had a lot of work to do, and he didn't need to see what would happen next. He had seen enough.

He had just witnessed the beginning of the treatment of a festering wound.

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

Judy and Nick watched Higgins close the door leading into the Council Chamber. He turned towards them with a smile. "So. And now we wait."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For Lionheart to be reelected."

"You think he will be?" Judy asked.

"Of course he will be, Fluff," Nick said. "It's the very same situation as before. In the eyes of the public, every councilmammal following after Lionheart has been perceived as corrupt or outright criminal. Lionheart's campaign has always been about duty and integrity, and apart from his little slip-up with the missing mammals, he has always been considered to be beyond reproach. That's why the citizens want him to be reelected, that's why nobody in there will vote against him. They would be crazy to do so."

"You're into politics?" Higgins asked.

Nick grinned. "Not if I can help it. I merely know what makes mammals tick. As a hustler, you need to, and in cases like these, this knowledge is pretty useful."

Higgins gave a chuckle. "Oh, I guess it will come in handy in other situations as well." He made a pause. "For the record, I can't wait to see you wearing the shield." He pointed at the badge affixed to his uniform.

Judy grinned. "I can't wait either."

Nick gave a sigh. "Yes, but there's a long and winding road ahead of me."

"What do you mean?" Higgins asked.

"There are a few things I need to do before I will be able to join the ZPA. And even after having dealt with them, my application's still pending. Don't know if they'll accept me in the first place."

"Oh, they will. Bogo seems to be sure of it."

"He is?"

"He is. You'll soon know why."

"What do you mean?"

"Just wait and see."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

Higgins merely gave him a grin.

Judy asked: "What are we waiting for?"

"For the right time, Hopps. Now, I'd like to watch this, so if you two don't mind …"

Nick made an inviting gesture. "Be our guest."

Standing to both sides of the wheelchair Judy was sitting in - or rather kneeling in the case of Higgins -, they watched the session commence.

The fact that Bogo hadn't left the room while Higgins had hadn't gone unnoticed by the mammals inside the Council Chamber. " _Excuse me, is there a problem, Chief?_ " Liu Shumeng asked.

Bogo turned towards him and shook his head. " _Just catching up with an old friend, Mr. Speaker_."

" _Ah. Well_." Liu turned back towards the assembled councilmammals. " _Now, back to the, ahem, 'original' agenda. Acting Mayor Caballus filed a motion, reference number 2016-dash-0860, asking for the reinstatement and reelection of Leodore Lionheart as both a councilmammal as well as the Mayor of Zootopia. Are there any requests to speak?"_

For a few seconds, the camera panned over the table, showing councilmammals who looked at each other in obvious consternation. Finally, it was again Mutus who got up.

" _First of all, let me use this opportunity to express my approval of your actions, Cameron. In the eyes of me and my fellow party members, the accusations brought up against former Mayor Lionheart have always been hugely exaggerated, so we approve of your decision to grant him a Mayoral pardon. And on top of that, I also want to extend my heartfelt welcome to you, Leodore! It is good to see you in freedom again_." He looked at Lionheart, who was still standing near the door. The lion merely nodded. Mutus continued: " _As for the motion you filed, Cameron, we also support it unanimously. Under Lionheart, Zootopia has flourished. Under Bellwether, it had started to wither and die_ …"

"Am I missing something here?" Judy asked. "Isn't he one of Lionheart's opponents?"

"He is, Hopps," Higgins said. "Mutus leads the Green Party."

"So why does he support his opponent?"

"Because he's in full campaign mode now," Nick said. "You need to think strategically, Carrots. Reelections are around the corner. Now, what had all the mammals conspiring with Bellwether have in common?"

"Uh, they were all prey?"

"Of course, but politically?"

"Erm, they're Democrats?"

"Each and every one of them. And the public is well aware of the fact. Which in turn means that, even with Lionheart at the helm again, the Democrats might very well take a beating during the election."

"They could even fall behind the Republicans," Higgins added.

Nick shook his head. "I don't think so. Even if they lose massively, their lead was so big a few months ago, I cannot imagine them losing that much. But they will probably lose the outright majority. So to still be able to rule the city, they will be dependant on a political partner. And what are the options there? Seeing that the only three parties standing a chance of clearing the 5-percent-clause are the Democrats, the Republicans, and the Green Party, there are only two: One, a grand coalition of Democrats and Republicans, which is always awkward and hardly ever really successful, and two, a coalition of Democrats with the Green Party. They have formed a coalition before, and it had worked out pretty well. So Mutus is gunning for governmental responsibility right now. And does he want to be a weak partner? No, he doesn't. He wants his party to be as big and strong as possible, so he can wring concessions out of Lionheart and his Democrats. So he and his party need to score big during the elections. How do you win the votes?"

"By telling the citizens what they want to hear?" Judy said.

"Bingo!" Nick smiled. "We'll make a politician out of you yet!"

Judy guffawed. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Mutus merely says what he thinks the people out there want to hear. Which, given the recent opinion polls, isn't all that hard to guess. Most citizens of Zootopia want to turn back the clock to a time before Bellwether. They want the _status quo ante_ , the time when Lionheart governed the city. Despite all he did, he's still considered to be the best mammal for the job."

"The other party leaders will take the same line," Higgins said. "Right now, with all the anger directed at the Council, saying what the citizens want to hear is pretty much the only thing to do."

"Lionheart will win this one, and he'll win by a country mile."

* * *

 **Thomas Cowam Children's Hospital, Station IV, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

Rebecca had sat down on Tyler's bed, the tray completely forgotten, hoping that her pager wouldn't demand her attention now. She watched as councilmammal after councilmammal heaped praise on her husband, with nobody saying anything against him.

Everyone seemed to support his reelection.

"He'll win this, right?" Tyler Cristata said.

"I hope so," Rebecca said with an almost toneless voice.

The last three months had been a living hell for her. With her husband in prison, no further income from him and three children attending either elementary or high school, Rebecca had volunteered to work double-shifts at the children's hospital. This wasn't only hugely demanding and exhausting for her, it was, strictly speaking, also illegal. Between the two work shifts, she had never allowed herself the mandatory ten hours of time for rest and recuperation. Unfortunately, her options were severely limited. She was already facing an enormous amount of bills to pay, and she didn't have enough money to do it.

With her husband back in office, however, she would again be able to reduce her workload to the half-time employment she had enjoyed prior to his arrest.

 _If_ he was reelected …

" _Any more requests to speak?_ " Liu asked finally, after an almost painfully long ten minutes of mammals talking rubbish about her husband - she loved him dearly, but he certainly wasn't the saint the councilmammals painted him to be. He waited for a few seconds. " _That is not the case. Now, is anyone asking for a secret ballot?_ " Another short pause. " _That is also not the case. So we can decide on this by acclamation_.

" _I'm asking for a show of paws or hooves. Those in favor of supporting 2016-dash-0860 may raise their paws or hooves now!_ "

When she saw a lot of mammals raise their limbs immediately, Rebecca closed her eyes while tears were running down her face.

Relief! Sweet, blessed relief!

Rebecca Katanga-Lionheart was weeping like a cub. She hardly felt Tyler embracing her as good as he was able to while being on a drip.

" _Countercheck! If you are against the reinstatement of Leodore Lionheart, please vote now_." Another silence. " _I observe that the yeas have it_. _I hereby declare that this assembly has passed motion 2016-dash-0860 unanimously, with one abstention from voting_."

Rebecca opened her eyes again, looking at Tyler. "Thanks!" she said with an audible sob. The aardwolf merely responded by hugging her even tighter.

" _Now, I am asking you, Leodore Lionheart: Do you accept your election?_ "

Rebecca looked back at the screen, at her husband, who finally stepped away from the door and towards Liu who was still standing at the head of the table. He stopped, looked around, and after a few seconds, Rebecca couldn't shake the feeling that he was hesitating.

After almost thirty seconds, Leodore said: " _Mr. Speaker, I do_."

This was exactly the moment her pager was demanding Rebecca's attention. She disentangled from Tyler after one last hug, picked up the tray and left the room without another sound.

She looked like she'd been dragged through hell and back, and she knew it. But she couldn't have cared less.

Right now, she was at peace with the world.

* * *

 **ZPD Forensic Laboratory, Conference Room, City Center, Zootopia**

"And Boom! goes the dynamite!" Charles Afer was chuckling. "That was quick!"

"They had no other options," Gerard Gusteau observed. "The people out in front of City Hall would have demanded their heads if they hadn't voted for Lionheart." He looked at Badger, but she was just staring ahead, with eyes unseeing.

 _He's back! He gets his shot at redemption!_

To her own surprise, she was glad for Lionheart - for Leodore -, and seeing him back where he belonged filled her heart with joy.

They had both done wrong, but now they had both been given the chance to right the wrongs again.

Suddenly, the future didn't look quite as dire.

"Honey?" Gusteau asked.

She snapped out of her silent reverie. "Sorry, Jerry. Must have been dozing off. Listening to politicians always tires me out."

Armando Peralta nodded. "You could say that. Without my tea, I'd have been dozing off ages ago." This drew a tiny chuckle from all mammals in the conference room.

Eleonore Mitis was still looking at the screen, which showed Lionheart shaking paws with virtually everyone around. "But why did he hesitate?"

"Pardon?" Peralta asked.

"Lionheart hesitated before accepting the election. Why?" She looked at Badger. Her involvement with Lionheart was well-known to all of them.

Badger shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he just wanted to increase the tension. He sure likes pushing all the buttons."

"I don't know," Billy Hopps said. "Looked like some genuine hesitation to me."

"He's a world-class actor," Badger said immediately. "He once told me that all politicians need to be able to play a role, and do so in the twinkling of an eye."

"Maybe he'll tell us," Gusteau said. "Looks like he's about to give a speech."

"Oh no!" Badger said. "He'll be boring us to death with some tale of the glory days!" Everybody laughed.

* * *

 **City Hall, Council Chamber, City Center, Zootopia**

Adrian Bogo watched his friend walk up to the table, taking the chair Caballus had left, but he didn't sit down. Instead, Lionheart reached into his suit coat to produce a book which looked tiny in his massive paws. Placing the book on the table in front of him, he cleared his throat.

"Mr. Speaker, dear Councilmammals, citizens of Zootopia!

"First of all, I want to thank each of you for the trust and support you are offering me. After what I did, some of it seems ill-deserved to me, but if you think that I am the right mammal to govern this city again, I certainly won't stand in your way." This elicited a small chuckle from the councilmammals.

"However, when you asked me, Mr. Speaker, whether I was accepting my election, I had half a mind to say No."

Bogo nodded. He had surmised as much. Lionheart was a born rhetorician. Everything he did while under the eyes of the public, he did for a reason. Bogo was pretty certain that his hesitation, especially how long it had taken him to overcome it, had been cleverly calculated, but there were some real underlying issues the lion had with the turn of events. They knew each other long enough for Bogo to be able to tell this.

The other mammals in the room, on the other hoof, were pretty much taken by surprise when hearing this, at least the noise level increased significantly.

Despite of this, Lionheart continued, adding matter-of-factly: "That is because I do not think I am legitimized as the new Mayor of Zootopia."

* * *

 **Zootopia News Network Headquarters, Cafeteria, City Center, Zootopia**

Fabienne Growley straightened in her seat. "Did he really just say this?"

Like most Zootopians, the production crew of ZNN's news service had of course been watching the proceedings taking place at City Hall, but since most of it had revolved around the usual campaigning and politicizing, and since the outcome had been clear at some point, most of them had lost their interest in the transmission long ago. Growley had just been engrossed in a conversation with Maggie Kurt, ZNN's certified makeup wizard, when Lionheart dropped this bomb.

"It certainly seems so," the producer, Patrick Mephitis, said.

On the screen, Lionheart plowed on: " _This may sound strange, even ludicrous to you, since you, the elected City Council of Zootopia, elected me back into office. But I have a lot of reasons for thinking the way I do, which I'm going to explain to you in detail now. This will probably be lengthy, and it may sometimes seem like little more than pointless rambling. And to some mammals, much of it may not sound like the most thrilling of tales. But it's a tale worth hearing and knowing, so I'm asking for your patience._ "

He closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath.

"And so it begins" Peter Moosebridge said.

"You're expecting something spectacular, Peter?" Growley asked.

"I expect nothing less from Lionheart." He looked at the screen with rapt attention.

Growley decided to take the hint. When a journalistic juggernaut like Peter Moosebridge was paying attention, you'd be well advised to do so, too.

* * *

 **And when a journalistic juggernaut like Peter Moosebridge does so, you should do so, too! ;-) More to come soon! The next chapter is already half-done, but I decided to make a cut here, lest it would have taken too long and would probably have been too long as well.**

 **When rereading this chapter, I realized that some of you might ask yourself why McHorn was able to reach Delgato that quickly. Well, I had my own hometown in mind when writing this. Here, the city hall and the police department are on the same street, merely separated by a parking lot, with some 500 yards between them. Distances are certainly longer in Zootopia, given the huge buildings needed for big mammals like elephants and giraffes, yet a rhino like McHorn should still be able to reach Delgato in just a few minutes.**

 **In case you're curious, among the so-called "big cats," tigers are indeed the biggest, considerably bigger than lions. Only ligers (that's not a typo - ligers are a hybrid species, a cross between a male lion and a female tiger) can be bigger than tigers. (The counterparts, called tigons (male tiger, female lion) are significantly smaller than both parents.) Why the lion is considered to be the "king of beasts" despite only being second-largest is beyond me.**

 **Now for the obligatory hidden quotes:**

 **There's a teensy little hint to an Iron Maiden song hidden in here. I'm really interested to see if you can find this one.**

 **Another quote was taken from the game "Mass Effect 3," specifically the hilarious "Citadel" DLC. Have fun with this one!**

 **Yet another quote can be found in the movie "A Few Good Men" by Rob Reiner. This was just too good to leave out.**

 **I also found a line in the poem "Wasted Youth" by Jim Steinman, as recited on the album "Bat Out of Hell II - Back Into Hell" by Meat Loaf. This one's a bit obscure, but you should still be able to find it.**

 **There also is a quote from the LucasArts game "Full Throttle" hidden in here.**

 **And while we're speaking of games: Another quote from the Eidos Interactive game "Tomb Raider: Legend" can be found somewhere in this chapter.**

 **Have fun finding these little gems! (Yes, DrummerMax, I'm looking at you!)**

 **Next on this channel: What is Lionheart up to? And what is going to happen to Judy and Nick?**

 **If you're interested in guessing, please send me a review! Just to remind you, I have a strict policy of answering every review or private message coming my way, regardless of what you tell me or whether you like what I do or not.**

 **And thank you very much for reading!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	15. Chapter Fifteen - Surprise, Surprise!

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Welcome back to the remainder of the council session, well, most of it. The council session per se is complete, but I haven't found the time to deal with Nick and Judy so far. To not leave you hanging for such a long time AGAIN, I decided to publish this one here to get this over with.**

 **The reason for this is that this chapter is the true backbone of this story, the true beginning of the treatment of a festering wound. Everything else coming after this, even the stuff I have in store for Judy and Nick, is nothing but a bonus - a bonus to fill a few gaps in the universe I'm trying to create here.**

 **Yup, this reads "universe."**

 **I have received several reviews commenting on the fact that I'm creating my very own world here, filling it with a lot of detail beyond the stuff shown by the movie - and, in all modesty, I have received a lot of praise for this.**

 **All the guys who wrote this are perfectly right.**

 **To me, the movie "Zootopia," as great as it is, offers little more than a small glimpse into a much larger world. A much larger world I want to show in my stories. And I want to show it in as great a detail as I can possibly manage. This is why I, for example, have talked about the stakes in my other story, "Hammer to Fall," (still on hold, in case you're wondering) being extremely high. I'm creating nothing less than my very own universe here, my very own take of a world filled with anthropomorphic mammals.**

 **A universe which will probably become non-canon when "Zootopia 2" will be released, but that's okay. I still love the "Star Wars" books by Timothy Zahn, despite them being non-canon now.**

 **A few of you tried their hands at guessing what will follow next, but nobody even came close to guessing correctly … So, be prepared for a surprise!**

 **Before we deal with the chapter itself, an honest word of warning: This chapter is very heavy on both politics and history. To me, politics is in everything, and everything turns to history. I'm hugely interested in both politics and history, and this chapter is the proof. To some, this may be bothersome to read, sometimes even boring. But to truly understand my vision of the universe of which Zootopia is a part of, to truly understand the intricacies involved behind the curtain - something which will be vital in "Hammer" -, it is essential that you read this chapter. If you don't, if you think you cannot be bothered reading stuff like that, you won't understand much of what is going on in "Hammer." And if I still can't convince you to read this chapter, then I can only say that there are other interesting stories out there. So long, good bye, have a nice day, and - of course - take care!**

 **Still here? Good.**

 **To some of you, what you are about to read may be quite difficult to understand. I have tried to give explanations for everything in here, but in case that's not enough, I strongly suggest to have Wikipedia on hand to read up some of the stuff I'm writing about, for instance the events which took place in Germany in early 1933. This is, in essence, a history lesson with quite a lot of politics and several twists and turns.**

 **With that being said, on to more pleasant things!**

 **Thanks to Combat Engineer, gistech, Foxlover91, Robert Escher, Dirtkid123, empirebuilder1, PrincessRainbowSparkles, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, GhostWolf88, DummerMax64, FeyFable, and HawkTooth for sending me their reviews, comments, condolences, and words of encouragement. As always, your participation in this is much appreciated.**

 **The stats so far look like this: More than 18,100 views, 159 reviews, 94 favorites, and 139 alerts. Thank you for your consistent support!**

 **Before we talk about the obligatory quotes …**

 **Yeah, yeah, I know: "Boom! goes the dynamite!"**

 **Honestly, until my faithful reviewer Robert Escher told me, I didn't even know the internet meme existed! I had never heard the name Brian Collins before, I hadn't seen the infamous YouTube video (viewed more than 10 million times). I came up with this statement myself, to illustrate the surprise of Charles Afer in a rather mocking way. Thank you all the same, Esch, for pointing this one out to me!**

 **DrummerMax64 (who else?) found these quotes so far:**

 **1\. The place where Mindoro was waiting with the two unconscious tigers, Rue Morgue, pays tribute to the Iron Maiden song "Murders in the Rue Morgue." (The song itself, written and composed by Steve Harris, is based on a short story with the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. Both are quite old - the story was written in 1841, and the song was first published in 1981 on Iron Maiden's second album, "Killers" - in other words, in the Di'Anno era. And although I like the Dickinson-era-Maiden better, it's still an awesome song. Oh, and by the way: "Up the Irons!")**

 **2\. The line from "Wasted Youth" by Jim Steinman is the very last one: "But you got a hell of a lot to learn about Rock and Roll!" Mastiff's right, though - Mindoro still has a hell of a lot to learn.**

 **3\. In the game "Full Throttle" by LucasArts, Adrian Ripburger (voiced by the always sensational Mark "Joker/Luke Skywalker" Hamill) has this to say about Malcolm Corley: "More likely he's boring them to death with some tale of the glory days." Not a nice way to talk about Lionheart, Honey!**

 **4\. And of course, Maya Brooks from the Mass Effect 3 Citadel DLC makes another appearance: "Brooks over! No, out! Er, Brooks out! O-over and out! Brooks! Oh, damn it!" Feels quite awkward to suddenly be forced to play with the big boys, eh, Mindoro?**

 **Good work, as usual, DrummerMax! But the other two quotes from the game "Tomb Raider: Legend" and the movie "A Few Good Men" remain elusive so far. Should I have you stumped already?** ** _"Oh, that was easy," says Man , and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing._** **(A little bonus quote: In which book did I find this one?)**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

 **Surprise, Surprise!**

 _Who wants a love without anger and rage? I do! Who wants a world where a kid can be safe? I do! Who wants to pray for the end of the pain, for the calm at the end of the day, where there's not always more of the same? I do!_

Anastacia feat. Sonny Sandoval: "I Do" (Written by Anastacia, Kara DioGuardi, Lukas Burton, and Danny Weissfeld, from the album "Anastacia," Epic/Daylight, 2004)

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

Three other mammals were also watching with rapt attention.

"That was some curveball he delivered," Higgins said.

"Do you really think he isn't legitimized?" Judy looked up at Nick.

The fox shook his head. "No idea, Carrots. I'm just as stumped as you are."

On the screen, Lionheart opened his eyes again and began to speak.

" _When the founding fathers laid the foundation this city is built on, they had a very basic set of rules in mind. Boiled down to one sentence, the set of rules merely states that in Zootopia, anyone can be anything_."

He made a pause. " _As hackneyed and overused as this phrase certainly is, there was a very good reason why I used it during my campaign for this office. It is the most basic, most fundamental principle which Zootopia was built upon. And it has some very serious consequences. Consequences like: No matter what species you are, no matter what gender you are, no matter what your upbringing, your education was like, you deserve to be given the very same chances every other mammal receives_.

" _We all know that in reality, this is rarely the case. Even today, in this period of time often called enlightened, there still is prejudice. There still is lack of equality. There still is open bullying. I only need to listen to a fox or a weasel relating the story of his life to me, and I know that the road which lies ahead of us is long, steep, and winding_. _And the last few months gave enough proof that we are far from having reached that goal._

" _But I always tried my utmost to make sure every mammal, every citizen of Zootopia and the surrounding boroughs, receives at least a fighting chance to become anything they want. This is why I, for example, introduced the Mammal Inclusion Initiative. Why should mammals be denied the chance to become police officers or firefighters? Just because they happen to be small? Sounded grossly unfair to me, this is why I introduced it and got you to give me the necessary votes to put it into effect_.

" _There also were practical reasons for this. In Little Rodentia, law enforcement and security lie in the paws of private companies that work in close conjunction with the ZPD. While this has always worked pretty well in the past, it isn't necessarily the ideal solution, because it often leads to a massive increase in bureaucracy. You are usually forced to do things twice, which is very costly for everyone involved, in terms of money, in terms of time, and also in terms of mammalpower. So, what if we are able to establish a new ZPD precinct in Little Rodentia itself, run by small mammals who live and work there themselves? What if we were able to incorporate the private companies into the ZPD directly?_ " He turned towards Bogo. " _You have to admit this sounds like a smart idea, AJ_."

" _It does_ ", Bogo said gravely. " _However, seeing that the number of graduates your initiative brought into the ZPD stands at one right now, a mammal much too big to be able to work in Little Rodentia, I'd say we're far from being able to achieve this, Leo_."

Lionheart nodded. " _Of course. Like I said, the road ahead is long, steep, and winding. But it's a start. And it may lead to real improvement. A lot of work needs to be done, certainly, but if the right mammals give it their best, I'm convinced that we can get there_.

" _And I'm saying this despite the fact that it was the very first graduate of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative who solved the crime I had perpetrated, that it was this very first graduate who arrested me for falsely imprisoning innocent predators. I don't deny I did it. I went to prison for a reason. I actually am with Chief Bogo in this one. I am not innocent. I don't see myself as a victim of a scheme devised by Dawn Bellwether. I stood by what I did. I still do, because I did it for a reason which, in my opinion, is still very valid_.

" _Contrary of what many of you might think, I hold no grudge against Officer Judy Hopps for her actions. She did the right thing when she arrested me. I'd rather applaud her for her actions, for her determination, for her bravery. I would like to thank her in person for the great service she rendered to this city, and I also would like to thank the mammal who helped her solve the cases, the one I was responsible for, and the one which Dawn Bellwether had instigated. Mr. Nicholas Wilde has also proven enormous bravery, trustworthiness and determination, and he is worthy of our thanks just as much as Officer Hopps is. As a matter of fact, I have sent for both of them, and I hope they will be able to join us soon, so I can indeed thank them on behalf of all citizens of Zootopia_."

Judy turned quite pale under her fur. "Oh dear! I … they … I will appear …"

Higgins looked down at the fidgeting rabbit with a grin. "Yes, you will, Hopps."

Nick grinned at the prospect of appearing in front of all of Zootopia. The thought didn't bother him all that much. He had never been exactly camera-shy, yet at the same time, he had always tried his hardest not to stand out too much. The better you are able to blend in, the easier it is to simply disappear without a trace. Being at the center of attention for having done something good and honorable now was still an exhilarating concept to him. No need anymore to appear small and insignificant! "So what are we waiting for?"

Higgins shrugged. "They told me to go and fetch you, but the Chief merely said that I should enter at some point during Lionheart's speech to make it look like I had to search for you. Nobody needs to know that you're here already, that all of this was pre-planned."

"All of what?" Judy asked with a tremulous voice.

"You'll find out."

"You're not the most helpful of mammals, you know that, Higgy-baby?" Nick said.

* * *

 **ZPD Forensic Laboratory, Conference Room, City Center, Zootopia**

" _I also want to thank Officer Hopps and Mr. Wilde personally for a completely different reason, a very selfish one this time,_ " Lionheart said. " _Because as stupid as this may sound, my imprisonment caused by them finally allowed me to indulge in something I haven't been able to do for years_."

Badger snorted. "Which was what? Getting on other mammal's nerves?"

"Was it that bad?" Gusteau asked.

"Let me put it this way: Had there been cubs in that prison, he would have smooched them." Deep down inside, Badger wondered why she kept lambasting Lionheart, given the fact he had never done her any harm. Maybe it was just the way she was wired.

"Always campaigning, huh?"

"You bet!"

On the screen, Lionheart looked around. " _But before I can deal with that, I feel the need to address the state of this assembly, or rather, the sorry state of this assembly_."

"Finally we're getting there," Peralta commented.

Lionheart looked up at the assembled councilmammals, obviously at a particular one. " _Councilmammal Jimela, I must confess I'm surprised_."

"Are we?" Afer asked.

The addressed mammal got up from his chair. " _At what, Lionheart? The fact that I abstained from voting you back into office? I still consider you a criminal, and I cannot condone_ …"

Lionheart interrupted him. " _But you supported Bellwether, right? You consider me a criminal, yet you don't think she is? In case it hasn't reached your ears yet, Bellwether is sitting in prison right now, awaiting her trial. You supported her, yet you won't support me. And we all belong to the very same political party. A very interesting selective perception, I must say. But that's not why I'm surprised. To be honest, I would have been more surprised if you had voted for me. No, I'm surprised for a completely different reason_.

" _Why are you even here?_ "

The topi frowned. " _I beg your pardon?_ "

Lionheart snorted. " _Don't act like you don't understand me! You know perfectly well what I'm talking about! And if not, you should go back to school and learn everything there is to know about politics, because it seems that you know nothing about the topic. Your mere presence here proves this_." He looked around. " _And it also seems like you are in good company here_."

At this, several councilmammals jumped up, obviously quite incensed at being treated in such a manner.

"Honey, didn't you just say he would have kissed cubs?" Gusteau asked with a grin. "Looks more likely he wants to punch all of them in the face."

"I hope he does!" Mitis said. "They _so_ deserve it!"

On this, everybody agreed.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

Lionheart seemed to be completely unperturbed by the sudden commotion. Pointing at a specific mammal, he shouted: " _Andrej Magarac, you became the new leader of our party after Franklin Pardalis was forced to step down. Why didn't you oppose the appointment of Gustavo Jimela?_ "

Magarac, a donkey, stood up as most councilmammals sat down again. " _Why should I have done so? Dawn_ …"

Lionheart interrupted him, too. " _Because by not doing so, you willfully ignored every rule there is when it comes to elections and councilmammal appointments_."

Magarac sat down again, consternation etched on his face, as Lionheart plowed on. " _Gustavo Jimela joined our party six months ago, at the same time the first predators turned savage. Less than four months later, he became a councilmammal. Why? Just because Bellwether said so? She never led our party. She wasn't involved in creating the list of electable candidates for the new City Council. And this list is the only thing you should have followed. Not the insinuations of a criminal sheep!_

" _And Jimela wasn't the first one. When I was arrested, when Dawn Bellwether took my seat, the one vacated by her was given to Doctor Jonathan Hirvi, who is no longer among us. When Franklin Pardalis was forced out of office after having been accused of felony tax evasion, claims that have been disproven in the meantime, by the way, his seat was taken by Isabella Merino, who also is no longer among us. When Sandrine Loup-Cervier was also accused of felony tax evasion, also falsely, I might add, and forced to step down, her seat was taken by Maya Brooks. Another mammal who is no longer with us right now. And I cannot help sensing a pattern here_.

" _And finally, when Zachary Murinus stepped down after his three kits obviously received death threats, you, Jimela, took his seat_."

"What do you say?" McHorn asked. "Was Jimela in cahoots with Bellwether, too?" He and Delgato had arrived at Precinct One and deposited the two tigers in the detention cells, then they had decided to join the other officers at the Receptionist's Counter to watch the proceedings in City Hall.

"Probably. Should we look a bit closer into it?" Alan Trunkaby said.

"Couldn't hurt," Delgato answered.

" _And just like you, Jimela_ ," Lionheart continued, " _all three mammals who replaced others had joined the Democratic Party about six months ago. None of them appeared on any list of candidates whatsoever. Which is a problem_ …"

" _Why?_ " Jimela shouted and jumped up again. " _This city needs the best mammals for the jobs, not just_ …"

" _And that's supposed to be YOU?_ " Lionheart interrupted him harshly. " _A college dropout, 21 years of age, still living with his parents … as opposed to, say, a venerable councilmammal with more than 20 years of experience on his back and an extensive knowledge of what this city needs and what it doesn't - something which you obviously lack. Tell me, young mammal, is there anything you can do better than Zack Murinus? Does this City Council, does this city, profit from your presence here in any way, shape, or form? You have done nothing so far. Your name doesn't appear in any of the committees, you haven't made your presence known in any of the sessions. As far as your contributions on the whole are concerned, an empty chair could have done the job just as well as you did. Care to explain any of that?_ " Lionheart waited for a few seconds, but Jimela didn't respond. " _That's what I thought_."

"Yup, we should definitely look at the guy more closely," Robert Rhinowitz said as they watched Jimela sit down again, very slowly and obviously very reluctantly.

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

"I can't help thinking Lionheart enjoys this very much," Higgins said.

"You can bet he does," Nick said. "This is perfect for him. He sat on the sideline for weeks, watching the City Council unravel. It wasn't his fault, he was just an innocent bystander. But he knows what should have happened, he knows what the City Council should have done and didn't do, and now he's in perfect position to tear the place apart, brick by brick. I guess you would enjoy it, too."

"Certainly."

"You think he can get the councilmammals to vote for self-dissolution?" Judy asked.

"With ease, Carrots. He'll do so blindfolded, with just one paw, running uphill and backwards. They will eat from the palm of his paw."

"Sure?"

"Of course. I know what he's talking about. There was a list of candidates for the last election. It determines which mammals may become a councilmammal. Those not high enough on the list become successors at call, taking the seats of mammals who have to leave the Council before the term of office is out. This list is valid until the next election. By filling vacated seats with mammals who're not on the list, who joined the party only a few months ago, way after the last election, Lionheart's party ignored the list. They really shouldn't have."

"Why?"

"Ever heard of the Predator-Prey-Ratio-Rule?"

"Uh, no."

"It is …," Nick began, but then Lionheart started talking again, so he stopped to listen.

" _But your mere presence isn't the real problem. Ask yourself one question, Jimela: Why are you the only one contradicting me right now? Look around you! Nobody in here dares to contradict me, because they know I'm right, because they know the problem I'm talking about. Unlike you. It's very obvious that you have not the slightest idea what you're dealing with here whatsoever_." Lionheart lowered his voice. " _Still you dare to call yourself one of the best mammals for the job? I strongly suggest you step down right now and go back to college, because it's obvious that you still got a lot to learn_."

The lion straightened himself. " _But I am not without a heart, Jimela, so I'll break it down for you._ _The real problem is this:_ _When I, a lion, was basically replaced by a camel, Bellwether blatantly ignored the age-old, unwritten gentlemammal's agreement that the ratio between predator and prey mammals always has to be at least 18 to 32. With Hirvi, it changed to 17 to 33. Add to this Dawn Bellwether herself, and we had a classical stalemate - 17 carnivores versus 34 herbivores. And when such a stalemate is reached, the Mayor's voice counts double_.

" _In other words, when Hirvi became a councilmammal, prey mammals suddenly had a two-third majority._

" _And Dawn Bellwether made good, or rather bad use of this majority, forcing through motions that, in essence, did nothing but punish predators. This is an abomination in itself, and I'm not saying this because I'm a predator myself. This is an abomination, because it negates everything our founding fathers established centuries ago_.

" _This rule is the reason why the list of candidates has to be respected at all times. It's creation in itself is a pain in the behind, because you always have to keep said rule in mind. When a predator has to leave this council for whatever reason, another predator has to take the vacant seat. You can't just pick the next best mammal. You always need to keep the ratio between predators and prey mammals in mind_.

" _Yes, when looking at the census, the 18-versus-32 rule is a gross misinterpretation of the real proportions. For every predator who lives in Zootopia, we have ten prey mammals. However, the rule had been established for a very good reason. It was to prevent prey from being able to subjugate predators. To change laws, you need a two-third majority, and by making sure that prey didn't achieve this majority, this rule gave predators security. This rule is one of the reasons why Zootopia has been stable for so many years_.

" _You will find similar rules in almost every community on this planet. Even in cities like Podunk, where prey outnumber predators by far more than 1000 to 1, the City Council consists of an astonishingly high number of predators. And even if there still aren't enough predators to make sure prey don't get the two-third majority, predator votes count double, or even thrice, I think, when matters concerning the prey-predator relationship are decided upon_. _At least that's how things are in Podunk. I guess communities like Bunnyburrow have similar rules. I probably should ask Officer Hopps about it, seeing as she was born and raised in Bunnyburrow_."

"Forget it!" Judy said. "I know nothing about politics."

Lionheart continued: " _In essence, this rule isn't much liked by anyone involved. Yes, predators try their utmost to uphold it, but meeting the quota when there are so few predator mammals running for office is always a hassle, and a lot of discussions and a lot of negotiations have to take place before a freshly elected council can be constituted._

" _Of course, Dawn Bellwether changed all that_."

Judy made a frown. "Hang on! If the ratio wasn't what it should have been, are the decisions made by this council even legal?"

"That," Nick said, "is a really good question, Carrots."

* * *

 **City Hall, Council Chamber, City Center, Zootopia**

Adrian Bogo was feeling the first slivers of boredom. He couldn't understand why his friend kept stating the obvious. Everybody knew Bellwether and her cronies had ignored every rule in the book, everybody knew the Council was corrupt, everybody knew that Jimela was incompetent (and probably in cahoots with Bellwether - letting one of his officers take a closer look at the mammal sounded like a good idea to him). It took him all his willpower to fight down a wide yawn.

"And as time progressed, things got worse," Lionheart said. "Counting myself, we are down to 15 predators. Even after the arrests, we still have 31 herbivores. Prey mammals still have a two-third majority.

"Now, I know what many of you might think: So what? Stop whining, Lionheart! Face the truth: It's just the way it is. You can only play the cards you're dealt, not the ones you'd like to have. After all, no laws have been broken."

Lionheart made a long pause and looked around.

And suddenly he smiled.

But it wasn't a happy smile, not a smile expressing amusement. It was a mirthless, a cynical smile, like the one Bogo used when he was about to rip some unfortunate mammal's head off, usually when said mammal had made a mistake and didn't know about it yet.

Suddenly, Bogo felt a shiver run down his spine.

 _Uh oh!_

Lionheart clapped his paws together. "So, after this short digression, back to the topic at paw. When you are forced to spend time in solitude, like I was, there's only so much you can do. You can start exercising, you can turn to arts or music, or you can start reading books, which is what I did. It must have been years since I had really been able to sit down and properly read a book from cover to cover without being interrupted every five minutes. I must have read, oh, I don't know, some fifty books. Some were my own, but some of them belonged to the prison library. It was … refreshing, cathartic even. And it was highly educational."

He picked up the small book from the table. "During my, ahem, studies, I came across this little gem. And yes, as the cover suggests, this actually is property of the Zootopia Municipal Correctional Facility. I merely borrowed it for this occasion, and I'm going to return it once we're done here." With a mocking smile, he added: "I may have falsely imprisoned innocent mammals, but I'm not a thief." This elicited a small laughter.

"This actually is a biography of a mammal named Rosa Gardner, released shortly before her death, authorized by her herself. I guess that most of you have never heard that name before." He looked around, obviously searching for a certain mammal. "But you certainly have, Councilmammal Hecki, right?"

The addressed mammal, a female Saharan cheetah, stood up. "Yes, I have."

"You're one of the teachers of my oldest son, and by the way, he holds you in very high esteem," he made a pause and gave her a grin, "despite the fact that you belong to the wrong party." Hecki returned the grin. Lionheart continued: "Now, Dorothy, I'm asking you as a history teacher, as a qualified expert on the subject matter: Could you please tell us who Rosa Gardner was?"

Hecki smiled. "Of course! Rosa Gardner was a history professor at Zootopia University, famous for her extensive studies into the history and nature of Nazi rule over Gnuganda. During her lifetime, she was considered to be the leading expert on anything related to Adolf Hirschler's dictatorship, and her books remain reference works to this day. I actually met her myself during my time at Zoo U, some thirty years ago. She already was about 80 years of age back then and a professor emeritus, but she was still holding lectures every now and then."

"How would you describe her?"

"An impressive woman, I must say. She neither looked nor acted her age. Her style was refreshing, compared to most other professors back then. And she was outstandingly intelligent and highly entertaining. The 90 minutes her lecture took seemed to be over in less than ten."

"Did you get the opportunity to talk to her in person?"

"Only in passing. I was just one mammal out of about 400, and she simply didn't have enough time that day."

"What did she sound like?"

Hecki made a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Her manner of speech, her language. Was she talking with an accent, for example?"

Hecki made a pause. "Well, come to think of it, she … did sound somewhat alien. But I have no idea where …"

"Gnuganda."

"Pardon?"

"She was born in Gnuganda."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. She actually told me herself. My grandfather was a close friend of hers, so I met her personally when I was a cub. Besides, it's all in this book. Anyway, thank you, Dorothy." Lionheart gave a slight bow while Hecki sat down again.

Bogo looked at Lionheart with raised eyebrows. He knew his friend liked his grand entrances, he loved cameras, and he was a master at prolonging his exposure to said cameras. But above all, he loved scheming and playing.

But this was taking things to the extreme.

And when looking into the faces of all the mammals around, Bogo couldn't help shake the feeling that everyone was as puzzled as he was.

Nobody understood the game Lionheart was playing right now.

* * *

 **Zootopia News Network Headquarters, Cafeteria, City Center, Zootopia**

"Is there a point to this?" Maggie Kurt asked.

"If there is, I don't see it", Mephitis replied.

Lionheart continued: " _The mammal you know as Rosa Gardner was born Rosamunde Luise Gärtner in a small village near the capital of Gnuganda, Bearlin, in 1907. Her father was a carpenter, her mother worked as a tailor, but World War I and the aftermath pretty much destroyed the family assets. On top of that, the economy wasn't exactly flourishing back then, so her parents had to scrape together everything they could to allow their highly intelligent daughter to receive the best education you could ask for. And little Rosamunde overcame all odds. Her outstanding grades at school earned her a scholarship, which in turn allowed her to study history at the University of Peltsdam. She excelled there, too, and after just having turned 25, she handed in her habilitation dissertation, which was graded summa cum laude. She was offered a chair at the history faculty of the University of Peltsdam immediately and thus became one of the the youngest professors in the history of mammalkind. That was in 1932_.

" _One year later, Adolf Hirschler came to power in Gnuganda. And everything changed for Rosamunde Gärtner_."

He made a pause, obviously for effect. " _Because she was a cougar. And if you remember your history lessons, you know that the regime established by Adolf Hirschler and his National Socialistic Gnugandan Workers Party didn't look too kindly on predators_.

" _Less than a year after having become a professor, she lost her chair again under more than dubious circumstances. First, she was falsely accused of supporting communism, and when this wasn't enough to make sure she would lose her position, the new chancellor of the University of Peltsdam, a faithful member of the Nazi party, accused her of having been in a sexual relationship with a horse, which was considered to be highly illicit in Gnuganda at that time and would probably still be frowned upon today . The accusations were disproven almost immediately, but the damage had already been done. Rosamunde Gärtner was forced to step down. After having received several threats to her life, after most of her relatives, including her parents, had been arrested and put into concentration camps, where most of them died a gruesome death, she decided to leave her home country. After living in Nageria for three years, she finally came to Zootopia in early 1937_. _That also was the time she legally changed her name to Rosa Gardner._

" _It took the board of trustees of Zootopia University little time to realize what a gem the tides had swept up. In early 1938, she was offered a chair at Zoo U, and she remained there for the rest of her career, highly respected, revered, adored even. Upon her retirement in 1972, one of the lecture halls at Zoo U was named after her. When she died in 1996, the whole university was in mourning for two weeks, and the chancellor decided to honor her by lying her in state in her very own lecture hall. The Gardner Park in Sahara Square is named after her, as is the Rosa-Gardner-Boulevard in Tundratown_.

" _Yet despite all her popularity with the scholars, most mammals don't remember her. On the whole, this is quite understandable, as her popularity was pretty much restricted to scholars, especially to history scholars. And even those don't remember her greatest historical achievement, because she didn't achieve it in the science field of history, but in the science field of law. And even there, she is all but forgotten. Even I, a former judge who had met her personally several times, didn't know about her contributions until I read about it yesterday in this very book_." He held the book up again.

" _Rosa Gardner was the instigator of what is commonly called Gardner's Law_."

"Ever heard of this?" Growley asked.

She saw a lot of shaken heads, with one notable exception - Peter Moosebridge nodded. "I have. Hang on!" He closed his eyes, obviously thinking hard.

And suddenly he gasped.

"Oh! My! God!"

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

"Have _you_ ever heard of Gardner's Law?" McHorn asked.

Delgato shook his head. "I have often driven along the Rosa-Gardner-Boulevard when I was still stationed in Tundratown, but I had no idea whom it was named after. And I certainly had no idea a law was named after her."

"Should I zoogle it?" Caballus asked, her hooves poised over the laptop's keyboard.

"Don't bother!" Pennington shook her head. "I guess Lionheart will explain it anyway."

"Too late," Clawhauser said, smartphone in his paws. "Link to Mickiepedia, of course. Here we are. Rosa Louise Gardner, born Rosa … no idea how this is pronounced! Du-dum, du-dum. Blah blah blah. History Professor, no. There's no reference to anything called Gardner's Law."

"What did you expect?" Trunkaby said. "This is Mickiepedia, not some scientific book. Sometimes you strike pay dirt, sometimes you grasp at nothing."

"Worth a try, though," Clawhauser said while pocketing his smartphone.

On the screen, Lionheart put the book down on the table and proceeded. " _The year is 1946. World War II had just ended. Zootopian soldiers had helped the Allied Forces defeat the Axis Powers ruled by Adolf Hirschler. Peace had finally been established. And Rosa Gardner was in the middle of writing what was to become her masterpiece, the first comprehensive history and evaluation of the Third Reich of Adolf Hirschler and his Gnugandan Nazi Party. Her goals were quite high, and to achieve them, she collaborated with a lot of mammals from a lot of different fields of science. Among those was a lawyer who had just established his own law office_.

" _His name was Richard Lionheart Sr.. My grandfather_.

" _The two of them put Gnugandan laws of that time under intense scrutiny, comparing them to other sets of laws in other countries or communities. And while doing so, they made a surprising, a disturbing discovery_.

" _The laws, as laid down by the Gnugandan dictatorship, are pretty much identical to those you can find in, for instance, Zootopia_."

"What?" said Caballus.

"Ouch!" Delgato said.

Rhinowitz shook his head. "Bet a lot of guys in Zootopia won't like to hear that!"

" _Of course there are differences, important ones_ ," Lionheart continued. " _The 'Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State,' for example, commonly called the 'Reichstag Fire Decree,' which allowed the Nazis to arrest anyone not in line with them, is something you won't find anywhere else. As is the 'Law to Remedy the Distress of People and Reich,' commonly called 'Enabling Act of 1933,' which basically gave Adolf Hirschler absolute power. Those two laws are pretty much unique to Gnuganda, those gave Adolf Hirschler the tools to establish his dictatorial reign of terror and oppression_.

" _But apart from laws like that, the rules, laws, and regulations you could find in the Third Reich weren't all that different from the ones in effect here_. _For example, the lack of a 5-percent-clause which led to the instability of the Gnugandan Reichstag, which in turn paved the way for Hirschler to gain power fast, was in effect in Zootopia, too_. _It was only in 1962 that the 5-percent clause was introduced in Zootopia, but I'm digressing._

" _Rosa Gardner saw the similarities between Gnugandan and Zootopian laws, and since she had experienced the rapid deterioration of normal civil life in Gnuganda first-paw, they irked her. So she went to the City Council and told them about it. And the councilmammals, still under the impression of what had happened before and during World War II, agreed with her wholeheartedly. So on June 13, 1946, they unanimously passed a set of laws which were soon called Gardner's Laws_.

" _Now, what are these all about?_ "

"I guess that's the most asked question in Zootopia now," Pennington said.

* * *

 **City Hall, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

Higgins stood up. "Well, I guess now's as good a time as any. Come on!"

He started walking towards the doors leading into the council chamber immediately, and Nick hurried to push the wheelchair with Judy sitting in it towards the door, too. Higgins knocked against the door, which was opened immediately. The three were greeted by Bogo, who had opened the door himself, nodding towards Higgins. They entered the massive chamber and …

"Ah, finally!" Lionheart said. "Ladies and Gentlemammals, please welcome Officer Judy Hopps and Mr. Nicholas Wilde!" The lion started clapping his enormous paws.

And slowly, but surely, others joined in, some of them reluctantly, but in the end, everybody rose from their seats.

Ten seconds later, the City Council of Zootopia gave Nick and Judy a standing ovation.

And Judy couldn't help feeling they weren't the only one in Zootopia.

For several seconds, she was quite occupied with praying for earth to open up and swallow her whole. Her droopy ears were burning with intense embarrassment, her nose began twitching furiously, and her eyes darted from here to there faster than during a tennis match between Roger Furderer and Novak Djaguakovic.

Nick, on the other paw, seemed to be in his element. "Thank you," he shouted while waving at one of the cameras. "Thank you very much!"

"Nick!" Judy hissed.

"What, Carrots?"

"Help me! They're all looking at me!"

Nick laughed out loud at that. "You better get used to it, Fluff. You're a celebrity now!"

Judy starred at him, an expression of horror on her features. "Sweet cheese and crackers!"

"Officer Hopps, welcome!" Lionheart said with a benevolent smile. "How's your leg?"

"P-pretty much better, sir," Judy answered haltingly.

"I hope there's no lasting harm done."

"N-no, I should be f-fine s-soon."

"I'm glad to hear that. And you, Mr. Wilde?"

Nick grinned. "Couldn't be better, sir."

"Fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish this address to the council before I'll be able to attend to you."

Nick made an inviting gesture. "Take your time, sir. It's not like we have anything better to do at the moment."

Lionheart countered with a mocking grin. "I'm glad you approve."

Nick gave him a wink. "I do."

To Judy's surprise, Lionheart returned the wink, then he turned towards the council and became stern again. "Now, back to Gardner's Law. What's in it? Well, you won't find any laws and rules in there that hadn't been in effect anyway. It is, in a manner of speaking, little more than taking a few unwritten laws and turn them into written ones. Which is also the reason why virtually nobody remembers Gardner's Laws anymore. After all, it is in essence little more than bureaucratic fuss that nobody really needs. The laws have been pretty much in effect anyway, and have been for a long time. But it actually is not that easy."

He made a pause, and suddenly his voice became harsh: "Because one of those laws introduced by Gardner's Law can be found in Article 13. Now, I don't want to bore you with legalese. In plain words, Article 13 states that, regardless of the outcome of an election, regardless of the circumstances, the ratio between predators and prey mammals within the City Council of Zootopia has to be at least 18 to 32. That's all there is to it."

He waited a few seconds to let that sink in, then he continued, even harsher: "When I was basically replaced by a camel, Article 13 of Gardner's Law was broken."

A few councilmammals stood up at that point, but Lionheart continued regardless: "Some of you may say now that this isn't much of a problem. After all, no plaintiff, no judge, right? The council worked, and nobody protested, right? Right?" He shook his head. "Wrong! Let's take a look at Article 14. It states, and I quote: 'Should the City Council be unable to meet the standards laid out in Article 13, it has to dissolute immediately, and a new City Council has to be elected at the earliest possible point in time.' Quote end."

He raised his voice over the sudden din of several mammals speaking up, and suddenly his voice became just as fierce as his posture. "What most of you seem to consider to be little more than an unwritten gentlemammal's agreement is, in fact, THE LAW!

" _I_ am not legitimized as the new Mayor of Zootopia because _you_ ," he pointed at the councilmammals, "are not legitimized as a City Council! You cannot vote me into office, because everything you do right now defies Gardner's Law! The moment Dawn Bellwether started replacing predators by prey mammals without having declared a state of emergency beforehand, which would have levered out most laws, including Gardner's Laws, was the moment this City Council ceased to be legitimate.

"But it didn't self-dissolute, to the contrary. It perpetuated the violation of Gardner's Law by reducing the number of predators even further, and it still passed motions, regulations, and laws.

"Motions, regulations, and laws which are all null and void!"

A stunned silence followed this announcement as the councilmammals who had risen sat down again, consternation on their features.

Judy looked up at Nick, but the fox looked just as perplexed as she felt.

Lionheart continued: "The suspension of predator police officers, for example, was simply illegal!"

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

At the very same moment, seven mammals shouted: "WHAT?"

Lionheart turned towards Bogo. " _Adrian, I applaud your bravado, your willingness to put your career on the line to make sure this council would reinstate your predator officers. Very noble, very brave, very unnecessary. All you had to do was take this to court. You would have won, paws down_."

"You gotta be kidding!" Pennington whispered.

Bogo took a deep breath. " _Why didn't you tell me?_ " His voice had developed a dangerous edge.

" _Because I learned about this only yesterday. Believe me, old buddy, I would have told you, but then Cameron Caballus came and pardoned me, and_ …"

Cameron Caballus got up. " _And why didn't you tell_ me _?_ "

Lionheart gave him a grin. " _What could I have achieved at that moment? You hoped I would be able to convince the Council to vote for its self-dissolution, to make way for a newly elected City Council. And I knew that I wouldn't need to. I told you I had a plan, didn't I?_ "

Caballus just stared at him, then his features softened. " _You did, Leodore. You did_." He sat down again.

Andrej Magarac stood up. " _Excuse me, Leodore, but do I understand this correctly: You want us to vote for the self-dissolution of this council?_ "

Lionheart shook his head. " _No, I don't. Articles 13 and 14 of Gardner's Law DEMAND it!_ " He made a pause. " _But it's not that easy_."

"Of course it isn't!" McHorn said with a snort.

Delgato gave a sigh. "It never is."

" _The simple truth is that right now, Zootopia needs a City Council_ ," Lionheart said. " _Stepping down now, in the face of chaos and impending anarchy, would leave a void this city cannot afford to have. Which is why I, now, take the mantle of responsibility, acting as if the vote making me the Mayor of Zootopia again had legal validity. Which it hadn't, but our choices are limited_.

" _We need to remain in office, each and every one of us, to prepare the new election. An election for a new City Council to replace this one, a Council once again approved of by the citizens of Zootopia_." He made a pause and added very matter-of-factly: " _I hereby officially declare a state of emergency. Regardless of the laws that have been broken, this Council will continue to govern this city until new elections have taken place_."

He made another pause, which Magarac used to ask: " _So you're stepping down as well?_ "

Lionheart shook his head. " _I don't need to, seeing that I'm not legitimized anyway. Everything needs to be elected anew, the Council as well as the Mayor_."

Lionheart looked up into one of the cameras. " _I will run for office again, but I can imagine many citizens of Zootopia wouldn't want a criminal to be the Mayor. If the citizens of Zootopia vote against me, I will accept this without compunction. I will step aside and let the elected mammals do the job. But if they vote for me_ …"

He made yet another pause and cleared his throat.

" _If the citizens of Zootopia elect me back into office, I'm going to roll up my sleeves and get to work! Because a lot of work needs to be done to repair the damage caused by Dawn Bellwether and her henchmammals. Bellwether gave this city a gashing wound, and everybody needs to give it their very best to treat this wound! We have to stand united against common enemies. Enemies like prejudice, like distrust, like megalomania, like subjugation of the weak and poor_.

" _Anyone can be anything. This mantra is the ultimate goal. And while we're far from being there right now, while we may not be able to see it in our lifetimes, we need to give it our very best effort to at least try to achieve this_.

" _Then, and only then, are we legitimized to govern this city. Then, and only then, are we the right servants to this city. This city and its citizens who deserve a fair chance at trying to be anything they want to be. Each and every single one of them_."

" _And speaking of being anything you want to be_ …" Lionheart turned towards Judy and Nick.

"Oh boy!" Clawhauser said, pressing his paws against his snout.

* * *

 **And yet again, I'm ending it here for the reasons mentioned in the first author's notes. Besides, the chapter simply became too long -** ** _AGAIN_** **! Like I said, the council session itself is done, but what about Judy and Nick? Stay tuned! The answer will be given in a few days …**

 **Now, most things I talk about here, the historical facts in particular, can be found explained on Wikipedia. While it's not necessary to have an intimate knowledge of everything I allude to in this chapter, it can help understanding the intricacies involved here. I tried my damndest to explain everything in such a way that every reader should be able to understand what I'm talking about. But in case you have no idea what I'm getting at, I suggest you log on to Wikipedia and find out.**

 **However, there is one tiny explanation I want to give here:**

 **Did you recognize the character named Rosa Gardner?**

 **"** **Gardner," or rather "gardener" is an accurate translation of the German word "Gärtner." Now, a gardener tends to a garden. The German word for this is "Garten," to be found in words like "Kindergarten," a garden for children.**

 **The word "Garten" is used quite lavishly in Germany. When looking at big cities like Berlin, for example, you find the "Zoologischer Garten Berlin," which is the biggest zoo of Berlin, the "Botanischer Garten," and the "Tiergarten," among others. As you can probably tell, not a single one of these can be considered gardens - they are all way too big. The Tiergarten, for example, covers an area of about 520 acres. So the translation "garden" seems quite ill-fitting.**

 **Which is why another valid translation is more fitting here:**

 **Park.**

 **Or rather the plural form, parks.**

 **And I hope you all know who Rosa Parks was.**

 **In case you don't, Rosa Louise Parks was a civil rights activist, most famous for the so-called Montgomery Bus Boycott. I don't want to go into too much detail here, so I can say only this: Look her story up on Wikipedia in case you want to know the details. It's a story that deserves to be read.**

 **This is my homage to Rosa Parks! May God rest your soul, you brave, brave woman!**

 **Oh, and by the way, "Bearlin" is Berlin, obviously, and "Peltsdam" is Potsdam. And in case you still are not able to tell yet, "Gnuganda" is my take on Germany. All the names of mammals and organizations in Gnuganda should be easily identifiable. And finally, "Nageria" is the name I picked for Great Britain, or rather the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.**

 **On top of me assigning stupid names and giving weird explanations for historical facts, I also hid a tiny quote from LucasArts' computer game "Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight" in here. This one will probably be tough to find.**

 **And before I forget: "Magnum p.i," anyone?**

 **Thanks for reading, and please, tell me what you think of this! It took so much time and pondering, I would really like to know if you like it or not!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	16. Chapter Sixteen - To Please Everyone

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **For some reason I cannot fathom, life doesn't seem to like me very much at the moment!**

 **I was halfway through being done with this chapter, when I received a phone call during work. It was my wife, telling me she had to go to hospital immediately. The reason was that she had been suffering from intestinal problems for weeks (nausea, stomach pains, diarrhea, the lot), and after she had finally gone to the doctor - on my insistence; she wouldn't have done it, left to her own devices -, she was diagnosed with suspected colon cancer.**

 **For several days, she was tested, probed, and prodded, and I'm happy to say that it was a false alarm, sort of. She was merely suffering from a some sort of colon infection. Certainly unpleasant, certainly painful, but on the whole, not that big of a deal. After having been given an antibiotic, she's fine again, and you cannot imagine how glad I am.**

 **Why is it always me? I'm truly longing for the days when everybody was fit and healthy, when I had been able to concentrate on this story instead by being distracted by several sad, disturbing, and sometimes outright annoying events taking place. Taking care of my own stuff and that of my wife (on top of caring for my mother-in-law, who's still in mourning, of course) just took a lot of time.**

 **And to think that I had been writing a chapter that's dealing with cancer …**

 **Speaking of which, yet another word of warning: The last chapter was heavy on both politics and history, this one, at least the first part of it, is heavy on medicine. Now, I'm not a doctor, I merely worked in a home for the aged for almost two years, which gives me a solid understanding of medical terms and definitions. Everything I mention in here was found through browsing Wikipedia, and I tried to present it in a manner that everybody should be able to understand. And if I can do it, you can do it, too.**

 **This story has been viewed more than 19,900 times so far, with 101 favorites and 143 alerts, and I've received 175 reviews. Thanks to each and every one of you!**

 **Robert Escher, Combat Engineer, Dirtkid123, tweiler18, LupinTheWolf, DrummerMax64, Canadian Crow, Missy2.0 frozen forever, Foxlover91, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, one anonymous guest, HawkTooth, and Kenneth Walker honored me by sending their reviews and comments, and I'm grateful for it. The anonymous guest told me that he/she knew what I wanted to do to Judy and Nick, but didn't tell me what his/her assumption was. Dear Guest, why didn't come forward with your guess? We'll never know now if you were right or not now, eh? And to Kenneth Walker, whom I couldn't answer in person: Life just isn't overly friendly to me right now, so please bear with me, okay? I thought I would be done quickly, but life gave me no chance.**

 **The quotes from the movie "A Few Good Men" and the game "Tomb Raider: Legend" are still waiting to be found, as is the reference to the TV series "Magnum p.i." and the line about Man getting killed on a zebra crossing (which I used in the author's notes; a little hint: it's taken out of a British book, which was first published in 1979). At least DrummerMax64 found the quote from the computer game "Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight." It's from one of the first cutscenes, when 8T88 tells Kyle Katarn that it is not without a heart. Quite funny, this, seeing that it's little more than a bucket of bolts and sprockets.**

 **Don't be too irritated if this chapter seems to start a bit before the events told in the previous chapter. It does. I'm re-introducing a few characters I haven't used in a while, and I hadn't planned to do it a few chapters ago, hence the slight temporal chaos. That's just one of the problems you're being faced with when you're dealing with numerous points of view taking place at basically the same time. This story just expanded way too fast, and I hadn't thought all my plotlines through until a few days ago.**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

 **To Please Everyone …**

 _We are screaming, screaming for vengeance. The world is a manacled place. Screaming, screaming for vengeance. The world is defiled in disgrace._

Judas Priest: "Screaming for Vengeance" (Written by Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, and K. K. Downing, from the album "Screaming for Vengeance," Columbia, 1982)

* * *

 **Zootopia General Hospital, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Central, Zootopia**

Ever since having fallen ill, Vivian Wilde had visited Zootopia General countless times. She had spent weeks, even months in there, fighting a hopeless fight against her worst enemy, her own body. After more than eight years of enduring treatment for different kinds of cancer, Zootopia General Hospital had become her home away from home, a place she knew even better than her actual home.

But despite her intimate knowledge of the place, she had never seen the lobby devoid of mammals.

Even the receptionist's counter was completely deserted.

"Hello?" she said tentatively.

Immediately, an head appeared behind a door frame in the back. "Oh, sorry, didn't hear you come in! Ah, it's you, Vivian!" The female sika deer walked through the door and approached the counter. "Here for a new patch?"

Vivian gave the sika deer a smile. Being there as often as she was, she was on first-name terms with most nurses and staff. This particular mammal by the name of Marietta Cervo had been one of the first mammals she had met at Zootopia General when renal cancer had first befallen her. "Of course, Marietta."

"Good." She picked up the receiver of her phone and pressed a button. "I will call for someone to pick you up."

"Thank you."

Cervo nodded and spoke into the receiver. "It's me. Someone up there to pick up Mrs. Vivian Wilde. She's here for …" She made a pause, listening, and her eyes narrowed slowly. "Well, there must be someone …" She listened again. "Come on! You can't all be occupied!" She waited again, then she sighed. "Yes. I'm telling her." She closed the connection and placed the receiver down again.

"Don't tell me, nobody there to care for me?" Vivian said softly.

Cervo shrugged. "Sorry, but it seems they're all quite occupied. You'll probably need to wait around a bit." She pointed at the waiting area near the back wall.

Vivian nodded. "I don't care. I have all the time in the world, you know." She looked around. "Is it just me, or are we the only mammals around?"

Cervo snorted. "Oh, the hospital is full to the brim. But everybody's watching TV right now, I guess. That's probably why nobody has the time to come pick you up."

"Really? Why?"

"The City Council is in session, and most channels are broadcasting live. Seems like great things are afoot."

"Things? What kind of things?"

"Well, for one, Lionheart has been pardoned, and it seems they want to make him the Mayor again."

Vivian just shrugged - she had never cared for politics much, and the last weeks of open hostility against predators had only strengthened her conviction. "Who is 'they?'"

Cervo shrugged. "The Council, I guess. I actually don't know exactly - I haven't been able to watch the whole session, you know."

Vivian raised an eyebrow and said mockingly: "Damn work always keeps you from doing the really important stuff, eh?"

To her surprise, Cervo didn't respond, merely looking past her, or rather, above her. She turned around, only to look at the hips of a rather tall mammal wearing blue jeans and a red sweatshirt.

The mammal chuckled, a deep, throaty rumble. "You're quite right, Vivian. There's more to life than just work. But without work, everything is nothing."

Vivian looked up with a smile. "Fancy that! Zachary Pawson! I thought they'd fired you!"

The grizzly shrugged. "They had, but after they found the reason why predators were turning savage left, right, and center, they hastened to reinstate me. They even gave me a little bonus to recompense for my financial losses, so no harm done."

"I'm glad to hear it. This hospital needs every good surgeon they can lay their paws on."

Pawson gave her a sardonic smile. "Tell me about it! Lots to do, so little time." He tilted his head. "What brings you here?"

Now Vivian shrugged. "I need a new fentanyl patch. Got my last one two days ago."

Pawson narrowed his eyes. "It came back?"

"With a vengeance. The new radiologist told me it was a glioma, sitting about," she pointed at her forehead, above her right eye, "here. Removing it through surgery seems to be impossible without killing me, and it doesn't react to chemo- or radiation therapy, at least so far."

Without another word, Pawson turned towards Cervo. "Could you please send her file to my office computer?"

Cervo nodded. "Of course. Do you want to apply the patch, too?"

"Why not? I can find one in one of the ERs, right?"

"Certainly. I'm telling them you're on your way. Just so you know, she needs the patches releasing 50 micrograms per hour, as far as I know. Right, Vivian?"

Vivian looked at Pawson. "Uh, yes, 50 micrograms sounds about right, but, erm, _you_?"

Pawson guffawed. "Yes, me. I may be but a surgeon, but I like to think that I'm quite qualified to apply a fentanyl patch. I went to university for this, you know."

Vivian had to laugh, too. "That wasn't what I meant, Zachary!"

Pawson made an inviting gesture, and they walked towards the emergency rooms together. "I know. But my work shift actually ended one hour ago. Just had to do a little catch-up with paperwork. I was just on my way home when I saw you standing there."

"So you're willing to work overtime for me?"

"When someone is in need of medical assistance, I don't mind clocking extra hours. That's the fourth one, isn't it?"

"It is. First a renal carcinoma, then it was the stomach carcinoma you removed, and last, but not least, the colon carcinoma."

Pawson nodded. "And I had been so happy that it had been detected before it had metastasized."

"Yes, but it came back twice."

"Twice?"

"Yes, but chemotherapy was enough to finish it off for good."

"It's gone?"

"At least for the moment."

"And now a glioma." Pawson sighed. "Some guys have all the luck."

Vivian gave a smirk. "That's a definition of the word luck I wasn't aware of before."

During her last words, they had reached the emergency rooms, and Pawson went in to retrieve the patch, then they walked to his office in silence. Once there, Pawson turned on his computer before taking off the old patch from the exposed section of skin below her neck and replacing it with a fresh one. He then put the old patch and the rubber gloves into the trash can and sat down on his office chair with a sigh. "How bad is your headache?"

Vivian shrugged. "I've had worse. What are we doing here?"

Pawson made a few entries on his computer. "Well, I just want to have a quick look at your file. Ah, there we are. Yes, a glioblastoma. Hang on a second." He made a few more entries. "Yes, here it is." He swiveled the monitor to allow Vivian to have a look.

Vivian tried to read what the screen showed her, but wasn't able to make heads or tails of it. "Sorry, but what am I looking at here exactly?"

"I read about this in a medical journal. Gliomas are notoriously difficult to cure. The problem is that there is a certain kind of barrier which prevents blood from entering certain parts of the brain. This rules out chemotherapy as a viable treatment. The effectiveness of radiation therapy is dubious as well. The biggest problem, however, is to localize the tumor correctly and in its entirety. Even the best MRT scans hardly show anything. Definitely not enough for surgeons to be able to remove the tumor. And this is where this comes in." He pointed at the screen.

"Which is?"

"There is a new method to improve treatment of gliomas. It involves a peptide derived from the venom of a certain kind of scorpion. In the venom, it works by paralyzing the victim's nerves. Since it works on the nervous system, it can cross the brain-blood barrier. Which in turn means it can cling onto the cancer cells."

Vivian nodded. "So the tumor cells are marked, right?"

"In layman's terms, yes. This enables the surgeon to see them on the MRT, which in turn makes it easier to remove the tumor through surgery."

"It works?"

"That's the problem, they don't know exactly, yet. This is a very new therapy. They've just started the clinical trials for this." He made a pause. "If you want, I can put you on the list of candidates."

Vivian shook her head. "No. I won't participate in this."

Pawson looked at her in surprise. "Not? Vivian, this could help you survive!"

"That's what they said before subjecting me to the last clinical trial, too."

"You've been there before?"

"Yes. Three times actually. None of the trials yielded any positive results whatsoever." She sighed. "I'm through with being a test subject, Zachary. I'm a vixen, not a guinea pig."

Pawson made a pause. "You don't think it could be worth it?"

Vivian sighed again. "Listen, I've come to terms with the fact that my days are numbered long ago. I much prefer enjoying the time I have left to being subjected to more drugs which make me feel awful without helping me whatsoever."

Pawson merely looked at her, and Vivian returned his stare, her posture stoic, unyielding. Finally, he sighed. "Have it your way then, Vivian. I can only offer this to you."

"And I appreciate the offer. I'm just fed up with this. All of it. I'm quite fine right now, and I prefer to keep it that way until I die."

Pawson shut down his computer and got up from his chair. "I'm sorry. I much prefer having you around for a bit longer."

"Me too, but that's no longer my call to make."

They left Pawson's office and walked back to the receptionist's counter, which was, again, completely deserted. Pawson looked at the empty space with a frown. "This shouldn't happen." He knocked on the counter with his big paw.

Immediately, Cervo walked in through the door in the back. "Yes, doctor?"

"You know you shouldn't leave your workplace, do you?" Pawson said.

"I do, sir, but I'm just around the corner."

"That's not enough! Everybody can walk in here unperturbed! What if there is a patient in need of special protection? What if an assassin comes in here?"

Vivian had to smile at that. "Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit here, Zachary?"

"No, I'm not. We often have mammals in here who need extra protection around the clock because someone wants to see them dead. We had witness protection details, victims of gang wars, the lot."

"There are none of those here at this time, sir," Cervo said.

Pawson snorted. "Even so, there are rules and regulations you need to follow."

"I know, sir, but like I said, I'm just around the corner. Besides, the council session is in its final stages."

"What council session?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"The City Council is in session, and most channels are broadcasting live. Right now, it seems like Lionheart wants to skin the bunch of councilmammals alive."

"Lionheart?" Pawson echoed with a frown. "What's Lionheart got to do with this? Isn't he in jail?"

"He was. The Acting Mayor pardoned him. And they even made him the Mayor again!"

"Excuse me?"

Vivian nodded. "First bit of good news coming out of City Hall I've heard in a long time."

Suddenly they heard someone shout: "I don't believe it!"

Without a word, Pawson stepped around the counter, and Vivian followed him instinctively. It never even occurred to her that she had no place behind the counter. Along with Cervo, they stepped through the door in the back, which opened into a staffroom. No less than four mammals wearing nurse uniforms were sitting at the table, watching the proceedings on TV. Right now, the TV showed Lionheart standing behind a table, talking to a huge cape buffalo who was standing near the door. And next to the buffalo …

Vivian gasped.

"Alright," Pawson said aloud, "would someone mind telling me what's going on?"

One of the nurses, a male oryx, looked up at Pawson. "Ah, Doctor! You won't believe this! Lionheart just told the council that everything they did over the course of the last few weeks was illegal."

Pawson's jaw dropped. "Everything?"

"Yup. Seems like they broke some law nobody knew of, and when they kicked predators out and replaced them with prey mammals, the council lost its legitimization. Or something like that."

Pawson nodded. "Figures. They must have broken tons of laws?"

"Seems so." The oryx looked at Vivian, and it suddenly occurred to her that she had no business being in the staff room.

Pawson obviously thought otherwise, as he stared the oryx down. "I got no problem with Mrs. Wilde being here. Do you?"

The oryx gave a chuckle. "At this stage? Certainly not, sir. I was just curious. Hello Vivian!" He pointed at the TV screen. "He looks a lot like you, you know."

Vivian found herself shaking her head. "He looks a lot like his father."

Pawson made a frown. "Who? What are you talking about?"

Vivian took a deep breath. Pointing at the TV screen with a trembling paw, she said silently: "This fox there."

Pawson looked at the screen. "What about him?"

"He's my son."

* * *

 **Hopps Family Farm, Main Building, Kitchen, Bunnyburrow, Tri-Burrows**

"What do you mean?" Bonnie Hopps said with a frown, looking at the smartphone in her paw. "How can she be on TV _again_?"

The tiny depiction of Billy Hopps on the screen showed a wide grin. " _I'm telling you, she's at City Hall. The Zootopian City Council is in session, and she's there. No idea why_."

"And it's broadcasted live on TV?"

" _It is. Mayor Lionheart, the one Judy arrested, well, seems like he was released from prison. He's the Mayor again, and he's just dismantling the City Council of Zootopia_."

"Uh-huh. And where does Judy come in in all this?"

" _No idea, Mom, honestly_."

Bonnie snorted. "Well, I can't watch this! I have more than two hundred hungry mouths to feed. And in case you didn't notice, it's chow time! I expect your father's arrival here any minute now."

" _Why? Where is he?_ "

"Where he is? Why, he's out on the fields, taking care of harvest! It's the season again."

Billy laughed. " _Isn't it always? The blueberries are hardly mellow, the apples and pears demand attention_."

Bonnie sighed. "So do the carrots, and the cherries, and the … Seems like it's always harvest season."

" _And now you know why I never wanted to become a farmer_ ," Billy said with a laugh.

"I seem to recall it was because you had no idea of farming whatsoever," said another bunny, a female one, who was standing in front of the stove, stirring an enormous pot full to the brim with boiled vegetables.

Billy laughed even harder at that. " _That's the pot calling the kettle black, Melissa!_ "

"At least I can cook," Melissa fired back. "Unlike you."

" _Hey, I can cook!_ "

"Yeah, microwave dinner! And you scorch even that!"

" _That was one time!_ "

"One time too many."

"What's going on?" another voice said. Stu Hopps entered the kitchen, wiping his paws with an enormous piece of cloth after having washed them at the sink outside the building. "Why do I hear Billy?"

Bonnie held up her smartphone. "Say hi to your oldest son!"

"Chilly Billy!" Stu smiled into the camera. "What's cookin'?"

" _Er, some sort of stew, I suppose_ ," Billy said with a grin. " _Right, Melissa?_ "

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He says that Judy's on TV again?"

"Really? How comes?"

Billy repeated what he had told his mother. " _Bottom line is, I have no idea why she's there. Lionheart asked for them to be there, so there must be a reason_."

"Them?"

" _Oh, yes, Nick is with her_."

"Who's Nick?"

" _The fox who helped her_."

Bonnie looked at Stu, who was frowning. "Judy's together with this … fox?" the patriarch of the Hopps Family asked.

" _Yeah. Why shouldn't she be?_ "

"You know this Nick?" Bonnie asked.

" _I do. Met him yesterday. Seems to be quite the funny guy_."

"Funny?" Stu snorted. "I keep forgetting that you value different things in mammals than I do."

Billy narrowed his eyes, and suddenly, his voice became quite cold. " _What's that supposed to mean, Dad?_ "

"I mean that you are too quick to trust other mammals."

" _Only if they deserve it_."

"Ah. So you know after one short meeting that you can trust this … fox?"

Suddenly, Billy looked up, and for the first time, his parents were able to see that he wasn't alone in the room. The head of a giraffe had appeared over Billy's shoulder, and the mammal stared at the two rabbits as if he was looking at an interesting curio. " _Excuse me for a minute_ ," Billy said to the giraffe, then the picture moved, indicating that Billy was walking. A door opened and closed, and suddenly, Billy's face appeared again.

Bonnie gasped. Gone was the humorous, witty mammal who loved to grin and make other mammals laugh. He had been replaced by a mammal that Bonnie had hardly ever seen before.

A seriously angry Billy was staring his father down.

" _And you just happen to know that this fox cannot be trusted without even having met him or talked to him, eh?_ "

Stu returned the stare. "I don't like your tone, buster!"

" _Do you honestly think I like yours?_ " Billy fired back.

"Billy!" Bonnie shouted.

" _What? It's true! He's talking to me like I'm a small kit! Face it, Dad! I'm a grown-up, and I certainly don't need your help in finding out if I like a mammal or not!_ "

"We're talking about a fox here!" Stu shouted.

" _So what? You have a fox as a business partner_."

"That's completely different! Gideon is …"

" _Gideon was a major jerk! He says so himself! Do you remember when I had to beat some sense into him because he was trying to extort money from Belinda and Meredith?_ "

"But he changed his ways!"

" _Yes, he did. That's exactly the point! He was a bully, but he's a completely different mammal now. Heck, he apologized to_ me _because_ I _had to beat him up! How's that for a change? In my opinion, he deserves a chance. And you gave him that chance, and I applaud you for it. So, why him? Why not Nick? Don't you think you should give Nick at least the benefit of the doubt? Judy likes him very much, and I can see why_."

Stu didn't respond, so Bonnie took over. "What is this Nick like?"

" _A really nice guy. Funny, witty, charming. Honest and hard-working_."

"What does he do for a living?"

Billy hesitated. " _You know, I don't actually know. It never came up. I know he has sort of a checkered past, but he left all of it behind. He wants to become a cop now_."

"A checkered past?" Stu asked.

" _Yeah. Much like Gideon Grey_ ," Billy responded. " _He told me that it's hard to make a living when everybody only perceives you as sneaky and untrustworthy_."

Bonnie looked at her husband. "He has a point."

Billy nodded. " _If you hadn't started seeing Gideon in a different light, would you have decided that he should become your business partner? Most foxes don't get that chance_." When Stu shot his son a look, Billy sighed. " _Don't give me that look, Dad! You know it's the truth! Most foxes are shunned, are treated like second-class citizens, just because somebody has decided they should be. Don't you think it's high time to leave this line of thinking behind? To give them the chance they deserve? Nick helped Judy! He risked his life while doing it! If that's not good enough, I don't know what is_."

Stu hesitated, then he nodded. "You're right, Billy. Sorry. Maybe I should get to know this Nick better before I make any sort of judgment."

" _My sentiments exactly_."

Stu clapped his paws together. "So, and what do I hear about our daughter being on TV?"

" _Like I said, the City Council of Zootopia is in session. They've reinstated Leodore Lionheart, the lion you saw at Judy's graduation, and he asked for Judy and Nick to be there. But right now, nobody knows why_."

"Well, let's find out, shall we?" Stu looked at Melissa. "How long till lunch's ready?"

"I can let it simmer for a few more minutes, it that's what you wanna know," Melissa replied. "It's about as ready as it could possibly be."

"Ten minutes?"

Melissa shrugged. "Ten minutes it is."

"Excellent!" Without another word, Stu took off towards the cinema, Bonnie in tow.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

McHorn turned towards his old friend. "You know where this is heading, don't you, Freddie?"

Delgato nodded. "Of course. Bogo's there, the Mayor's there, all of Zootopia is watching …"

There was a short silence, as McHorn seemed to size his partner up. "And what do you think about it?"

Delgato blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you okay with Hopps …"

Delgato made a frown. "Wait a minute, are you insinuating that I might hold a grudge against her?"

"Would be understandable," Trunkaby said. "After all, she was the one who told everyone that predators might be, what was that, 'reverting back to their primitive, savage ways.'"

Delgato straightened himself. "But she wasn't the one who fired me. Hopps was merely used as an excuse. Maybe she was naïve, but that's not a crime. If it was, half of Zootopia should be sitting in jail. I have no reason to hate her because of what happened to me. It wasn't her fault. I don't think she even knew what she was doing back then."

"So you're okay with …"

Delgato snorted. "Honestly, how many of us would have done what she did? She was fully aware of the danger, yet she walked into it. This could have backfired so badly. Yet she faced it, and she overcame it. She and her fox friend. So yes, I'm okay with it." He nodded. "Wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be one hell of a cop."

"And Nick too," Clawhauser added.

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody told you? Nick has helped us unravel the mysterious attacks on predators. Without him, we wouldn't have been able to arrest Aries."

"Not only that," Pennington added. "He was the one who made Mick Fleecewood fess up."

Delgato stared at her as if she had grown an extra trunk. "Er, what? He? A civilian?"

"Yup. The guys at the Academy could take a leaf or two out of his book. He hustled Fleecewood so good, it was almost scary."

"And Bogo rolled with that?"

"Not at first, but Mastiff convinced him."

"Wow!" Delgato looked back at the screen, where Lionheart had just begun to address Hopps, who was sitting in a wheelchair which was standing next to Bogo and Wilde. "I would have loved to see this!"

"Was a sight for sore eyes, that's for sure!"

"Bogo did quite a few things over the last couple of days you wouldn't believe," Rhinowitz added. "He hustled the DA, he threatened an Acting Mayor, and he's willing to let a former con-mammal become a cop."

"So this Nick Wilde was indeed a con-mammal?" Delgato asked. "Figures."

"You know Wilde?" McHorn asked. "You knew he was a con-mammal?"

Delgato shrugged. "Let's say I had a suspicion. I met him about an hour ago. He seemed to have realized who I was straight away, and he pointed out another officer to me that I hadn't even recognized before, one from a different precinct. When I asked him how he knew, he merely told me that he knew a cop when he saw one. On top of that, Bogo told me yesterday that Wilde knew the other side of the law exceptionally well. The conclusion that he probably had been a con-mammal wasn't that difficult.

"Yes, with 'had been' being the operative words here, I think," Pennington replied. "He told me that he'd been shunned and disrespected for most of his life, so he had known no other way to make ends meet. Being respected now, even by someone like Bogo of all mammals … you honestly think he would want to become a con-mammal again?"

"Probably not. I certainly wouldn't."

"And having a former hustler work for the ZPD …"

"There's a lot of potential there," Rhinowitz said.

"For what?" Caballus asked. "Major mischief?" Everybody had to laugh at that.

Clawhauser pointed at the laptop. "I guess it's about time."

Everybody looked at the screen, watching Lionheart talk to Hopps. He had obviously just been lauding her for her actions, for her investigative work. Now he looked up at Bogo, who was standing behind Hopps and Wilde, towering over the smaller mammals. " _I actually had a little talk with Chief Bogo about this case, and we were in total agreement on what should happen. So_ …" Lionheart pulled a few folded pieces of paper out of his suit's inner pocket and handed them to Bogo. " _Chief Bogo, discharge your duty!_ "

" _With pleasure, Mayor Lionheart_ ," Bogo replied formally. He looked down at Wilde. " _Mr. Wilde, would you please turn the wheelchair so that she faces the council?_ "

" _Of course, sir!_ " Wilde said and pushed the wheelchair around. Hopps seemed to dislike the situation intensely. Her ears were droopy, and an intense blush shone through her fur.

Bogo straightened himself and cleared his throat. Reading from the first piece of paper, he shouted: " _On behalf of the Zootopia Police Department, I hereby award Officer Judith Laverne Hopps the Zootopia Police Department Medal of Honor_."

"What?" Clawhauser shouted.

"The Medal of Honor?" Trunkaby shouted.

"Oh my!" Caballus said.

"Ain't that a bit much?" Rhinowitz asked.

Inside the council chamber, the noise level had risen as well. Bogo, however, had no difficulties making himself heard whatsoever. Looking down at Hopps, who was just staring ahead, a look of complete and utter incredulity on her face, he said: " _The Medal of Honor is the highest award the ZPD can bestow on one of its officers. It is awarded to those who intelligently perform individual acts of extraordinary bravery in the line of duty at imminent and personal danger to life, for acts of gallantry and valor with full knowledge of the risk involved, above and beyond the call of duty_."

He made a pause. " _Needless to say, it is rather rare that the Medal of Honor is awarded. As far as I know, it has been awarded a grand total of nine times since the ZPD's inception. And is has certainly never been awarded to a police officer with the rank of Officer, with just a few months of service under her belt. With that being said, Mayor Lionheart and I are convinced that the actions of Officer Hopps warrant this award. Her actions have exceeded everything I could have expected from her, particularly given the circumstances and the stakes_."

After yet another pause, he actually smiled. " _Unfortunately, I cannot pin an award to your chest right now. You are the first small mammal at the ZPD, and we have no awards in your size. Yet. We will certainly be able to rectify this in a few weeks_."

"She could probably hide behind one of the awards we have," Trunkaby commented dryly.

"Would save her the pain of having to wear a bulletproof vest," Pennington added with a grin.

"If she can even lift it, of course."

"Wouldn't an Exceptional Merit have sufficed?" Rhinowitz asked.

"Probably," McHorn said.

Delgato shook his head. "I don't think so."

"You think she deserves this?" Rhinowitz asked.

Delgato sighed. "Just imagine what could have happened! She could have died, Wilde could have died, or at least turned savage. In that case, Zootopia would have fallen into anarchy, and Bellwether would have ruled this city with an iron hoof. It takes a lot of guts to try and fight something like this. She did, they both did. They knew perfectly well what was at stake - you heard Hopps during the press conference. And their hustle against Bellwether was a thing of beauty. And we all know she wasn't even a cop anymore at that stage, and neither was Wilde. So I tend to think she deserves this award." He pointed at the screen. "I wouldn't be surprised if Wilde receives one, too."

"Bogo can't do that!" Caballus said. "Nick's a civilian!"

"And he did a cop's work."

McHorn nodded. "They did what we should have done. They did our work for us, while we were just scratching our heads without having the slightest idea of what was really going on. I think you're right."

"That will certainly turn some heads," Rhinowitz said. "A fox with a Medal of Honor."

"You know what?" Pennington said. "I think it's about time! Foxes have always been shunned. And why? Because of all those shitty prejudices this city is full of. Foxes are sneaky. Weasels are deceitful. Elephants are clumsy. Lions are arrogant. Predators are savage. All those were the ammunition Bellwether used to her advantage. It's high time this comes to an end!"

"It would be a start," Delgato said, nodding.

"You think Bogo has the balls to do it?" Clawhauser asked.

McHorn guffawed. "You know what they say about the size of Bogo's balls!"

* * *

 **Hopps Family Farm, Main Building, "Cinema," Bunnyburrow, Tri-Burrows**

"Cripes!" Stu sniffled. "Here it comes!"

Bonnie looked at her openly weeping husband with a smile. "Oh, Stu! You're way too emotional."

"I can't help it! Our Judy!" Stu said between sobs. "And to think we never wanted her to be a cop."

"Sometimes we just have to eat our words."

" _It's a stroke of luck that being stubborn runs in the family, eh?_ " Billy said over the MuzzleTime connection.

Bonnie had to laugh at that. "And don't you forget it!"

" _I won't. The stakes have gotten quite high now, haven't they?_ "

"Looks like it. So I expect you to excel, William Stuart Hopps!"

" _Yes, ma'am!_ "

At this very moment, the door leading into the cinema opened, and Melissa's head appeared. "I don't wanna rush you, but lunch's ready! What happened?"

Bonnie turned the huge TV set off and turned towards her. "You won't believe this!"

* * *

 **Zootopia General Hospital, Lobby, Staff Room, Receptionist's Counter, City Central, Zootopia**

"So he just disappeared?" Pawson looked at Vivian with incredulity.

"Just like that." Vivian snapped her digits. "There one day, gone the next."

"And the police?"

"Couldn't find him. Nobody could. In the end, I convinced myself that he was dead and moved on."

Pawson sighed. "When it rains, it pours. When did you find out he's alive?"

"During that bunny's first press conference. He was standing there in the background, and somehow I knew instinctively that it was him. And during the last press conference, he was introduced. It's him, Nicholas Wilde. No doubt about that."

"And now what?"

Vivian shrugged. "I thought he had been killed, but it seems like he left on his own accord. It seems like he wants to have nothing to do with me anymore. And if that's the case, I'll certainly not run after him."

"But you don't know."

"I don't, but it's not that I've exactly been in hiding. He was there all the time. The bunny said he had lived in Zootopia all of his life. So he must have had tons of chances to pay me a visit. He never did. So there's that."

Pawson just stared at her, then his gaze turned towards the screen again. "Wonder what he did all the time."

"No idea. But somehow I doubt he'd been helping the police all the time."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because the bunny said she had coerced him into helping her. Doesn't sound like he went willingly."

"So you think he hasn't exactly been a law-abiding citizen?"

"I would be surprised if he was."

"Why?"

Vivian looked at Pawson, raising an eyebrow. "You do know how foxes are usually treated by society, don't you?"

Pawson shook his head. "I do, and I hate it! Prejudice like that made me lose my job."

"Yeah, but at least you got it back." Vivian looked at the screen again herself, watching the bunny read the certificate with wide eyes. It seemed like she never had guessed she would be in for an award, much less the highest one the ZPD could bestow upon her.

The huge Chief of Police turned towards Nick now. " _And now for you, Mr. Wilde_."

Nick looked up at the cape buffalo. " _Sir?_ "

The Chief straightened himself. " _On behalf of the Zootopia Police Department, I hereby award Mister Nicholas Piberius Wilde the Zootopia Police Department Medal of Honor_."

Vivian's jaw dropped. "Say what?"

The cape buffalo looked down at her son. " _This certainly is unprecedented. Never before in the history of the ZPD has a civilian been awarded with one of its medals, much less the highest one. However, given the fact that you helped Officer Hopps solve the Savage Predators case, and also given the fact that you provided the ZPD with invaluable assistance over the course of the last few days, assistance which enabled us to arrest several criminals, including Aries, Hirvi, Brooks, and Merino, we, that is Mayor Lionheart and me, are convinced that you deserve the award just as much as Officer Hopps does. Especially considering the fact that you formally applied for the ZPA_."

He looked at the assembled councilmammals now, who seemed to be shocked into a silent stupor. " _Provided Mr. Wilde passes the Academy, of which I am certain, he will join ZPDs Precinct One in less than a year, the second small mammal to join our ranks, to become a police officer. And if his actions during the last couple of days are any indication, he will become a mammal more than worthy of wearing the shield. And this award_." He handed the certificate to Nick. " _Congratulations, Mr. Wilde!_ "

"Wow!" Pawson exclaimed. "Never thought I'd see something like this!"

He looked down at Vivian, who was just staring at the TV set, with tears running down her face.

* * *

 **City Hall, Council Chamber, City Center, Zootopia**

"Congratulations, Mr. Wilde!" Chief Bogo said, looking down at Nick with a hint of a smile. When Nick simply returned the stare, he continued, much more silently: "What? You didn't know?"

Nick first looked at the councilmammals who had just started applauding him, then at the certificate, confirming that it was indeed the real thing - the ZPD Medal of Honor, awarded to him. "I was quite certain you'd want to honor us, but not with this. And I don't really know why."

"Isn't it obvious? No civilian has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor. So we have quite the unique situation. A civilian with the Medal of Honor applying for the ZPA?"

Nick nodded in sudden understanding. "Forcing their paws, eh, sir?"

"I'd like to see the ZPA's administration try and reject the recipient of the Medal of Honor. They wouldn't dare. Speaking of which, you'll find another piece of paper underneath the certificate. One you might find useful as well." He suddenly leaned forward, offering his enormous hoof to Nick. "Congratulations, Cadet Wilde!"

"Cadet Wilde!" Nick suddenly heard someone say behind him. "I like that!"

Having returned the pawshake, Nick turned around to look at Judy who was staring at him with a grin. She had obviously come to terms with the situation in the meantime, probably thanks to Higgins having calmed her down. "Just wait till it's _Officer Wilde_ , Fluff!" Nick said, assuming the most nonchalant pose he was able to do.

"Ooh, I like that even more!"

Nick looked at the second piece of paper. Bogo closed the gap and said silently: "It's a full mayoral pardon, signed by Lionheart and Caballus. And Higgins even went over to the DA to have him sign it, too, just for good measure. It's as foolproof as we can make it."

Nick took a deep breath. "So it's really happening!"

"It is. _If_ you solve your other problems."

"Oh, I will solve them, sir! You've given me quite the incentive."

"What problems are you talking about?" Judy asked.

Nick hesitated. For some strange reason, he was reluctant to tell her that he neither had a high school diploma nor a driving license to his name. "Another time, Judy. I'll tell you, but not right now, okay?"

Judy looked at him, then she shrugged. "Fine with me. I can wait."

* * *

 **Zootopia News Network Headquarters, TV Studio Four, City Center, Zootopia**

"And you had really heard of Gardner's Law before?" Fabienne Growley asked. She and Peter Moosebridge were sitting on their respective chairs in the news studio again, preparing themselves for the next edition of the news.

"I have," Moosebridge said. "It was during high school. I had a teacher there. Quite the weird guy, but he sure knew his stuff. One of his subject was Political Science. He once mentioned Gardner's Law during a rather heated discussion, saying that it was a prime example of a _lex non scripta_ that was finally pressed into some sort of legal form with no real need for it, because it had always been in effect, even though it had never been an actual law. He explicitly called it a law that did nothing but please the bureaucrats, or, in his own words, a useless law."

"I wouldn't exactly call it useless."

"Not after what happened today, that's for sure."

"He told you what was in it?"

"No. He just mentioned the term, and I was curious enough to look it up afterwards. Most of it really is perfectly useless, but there are some laws in there that are so obvious, it's a miracle that nobody had realized that they had been missing before. Did you know, for example, that there was a time when everybody could have become a councilmammal, not just citizens of Zootopia?"

"Really?"

"Yes. An oversight if I ever saw one. We never had a councilmammal who hadn't been a citizen of this city, yet we could have had. Not anymore, thanks to Gardner's Law."

"And to think that nobody knew about this!"

"Yeah, that's the funny thing about it. So many mammals involved, and it took an imprisoned former Mayor to come across this by chance. What a story! Even I didn't remember this, and I should have known, seeing that I once looked the stuff up."

"This teacher of yours, he really knew his stuff, obviously."

"He knew everything there was to know about his subjects, but he was incredibly clueless in regards of everything else. And his educational style was … weird."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he used to say that, and I quote, 'school is like medicine. Its taste has to be bitter, otherwise it is useless.' Quote end."

Growley snickered. "That's one way to see it."

"Not the only one, I …"

"Alright," Mephitis shouted, interrupting him. "Get ready! We're about to go on the air."

* * *

 **Unknown**

"… _the peace rally in front of City Hall shows no sign of dispersing_ ," the wolverine reporter said before looking over his shoulder. " _Although from this vantage point, it looks to evolve into some kind of celebration_." The camera panned to the side, focusing on mammals, predator and prey alike, hugging each other. Shouts of joy and elation could be heard. After a few seconds, the wolverine reappeared. " _I have also received word that Gazelle will address the protestors soon_."

" _Probably to announce the continuation of her world tour_ ," Peter Moosebridge stated.

" _Yes, but there also are rumors that she will stage a special free concert in Zootopia after her tour has ended_."

" _A free concert? That would be spectacular news indeed!_ " Fabienne Growley exclaimed.

" _Said ZNN's resident Gazelle fan_ ," Moosebridge added with a grin.

" _Unlike other mammals here, I can at least recognize good music when I hear it!_ " Growley replied without missing a beat.

Ever since her now infamous outburst, which had gone viral within minutes, the manner in which Growley and Moosebridge had presented the news had become distinctively more casual, and if public response was any indication, the public seemed to love the snow leopard and the moose all the more for it. Jocular banter between ZNN's main newscasters had become much more common, with exchanges like these quickly having become the new norm.

The two mammals watching the presentation, however, had no appreciation for their casual approach whatsoever.

Nor had they any appreciation for the news themselves.

"Looks like we're back at square one," the smaller of the two mammals said before erupting in a very long and very colorful curse.

"It is even worse than that." In contrast to the smaller mammal's outburst, the taller mammal was speaking in a very measured tone. "They know about the serum now, and it will probably take them little time to come up with an antidote. As far as I know, Doctors Peralta, Afer, Badger, Professor Mitis, and Mr. Gusteau are working on it, and you know their respective reputations just as well as I do. I would be very surprised indeed if they do not come up with a viable antidote within weeks. Which in turn means we will not be able to use the serum again in the foreseeable future."

"Unless you come up with an advanced version."

The taller mammal made a face. "Which is quite unlikely. Doug Ramses is a genius. I never really understood how he managed to make the Nighthowler serum work, but he made it work. Unless I can truly understand how the different components interact with each other, any attempt to track his work is an exercise in futility." He filled his glass again. "On top of that, the actions of Dawn Bellwether cost us dearly."

"What do you mean?"

"We lost a lot of good, valuable soldiers to the cause. All loyal mammals she managed to get onto the roster of the ZPD and onto the seats of the City Council are in prison now."

"There still is Jimela."

"Who will probably join his fellows in prison very soon. Do you honestly think AJ will stop where they are right now?"

"Probably not." A short pause. "Fuck!"

"Patience!" the taller mammal said. "It is a mere setback. We will continue our work. Maybe you should finally make good on your promises and try to enter the stage of politics."

"And what good would that do?"

"It would provide us with an additional lever we might use in the future. Especially if I manage to come up with a new, improved version of the Nighthowler serum."

"I thought you said you couldn't do it."

"I merely said it is unlikely that I could do it. But not impossible. It might very well turn out that all it takes is time, effort, and money. Fortunately, we have enough of those."

"So, our plan's still alive?"

"It is, very much so." He raised his glass. "Vengeance!"

The smaller mammal raised his glass, too, and they clinked glasses. "Vengeance!"

* * *

 **Now where the heck did those two guys come from? Who are they? What do they want?**

 **Well, those of you who've read the first chapters of "Hammer to Fall" will probably have recognized them. All those who haven't, well …**

 **It's called shameless self-promotion, sweetheart!**

 **Speaking of which, the details of Nick's past, especially in relation to his mother, are explained in my very first story, "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life." This is also the place where Zachary Pawson, M.D., was first introduced. In other words, it's another story worth reading. (*cough*)**

 **Alright, enough self-praise for the moment!**

 **Just so you know, the chapter's title is based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, named "Es recht zu machen jedermann, ist eine Kunst, die keiner kann," which loosely translates to: "To please everyone is an art nobody can do." It tells the story of a boy who wants to travel the world to learn what other people think. His father tries to dissuade him, stating that everybody has a different opinion. The son, however, remains stubborn. Finally the father relents, and so they leave with their trusty donkey, each of them walking on their own feet. First, they meet a farmer, who asks them why the donkey is walking without carrying anyone. So the father climbs onto the donkey's back. A little while later, they meet two wanderers, who berate the group for letting the boy run while the father is riding. So they switch. Next they meet a woman, who lambasts the son for letting his father run. So both climb onto the donkey's back. The next gentleman they meet tells them that the donkey will surely collapse soon, due to being forced to carry both of them. So they dismount and in turn carry the donkey. (No idea why they think this is smart, but hey! It's a fairy-tale!) They continue on their journey until they reach an inn. The folks sitting on the outside in front of it ridicule them for carrying a perfectly serviceable donkey, which could have carried one of them … you get the idea.**

 **A really nice story. I grew up on stuff like that.**

 **Fentanyl is a pain-relieve drug similar to morphine, administered to patients suffering from severe chronic pain, such as cancer patients. It is often administered through patches, as there are quite a lot of people who cannot deal with other forms of administration like swallowing or are having kidney problems. Depending on the size of the patch, it can be quite potent, and if overdosed, can even result in death! Since Vivian lost one of her kidneys - the usual method to remove a renal cell carcinoma is to remove the affected kidney -, she receives the patches instead of morphine pills. (My mother-in-law receives those, too - that's how I learned of their existence. She's suffering from severe arthritis in both shoulders, and her stomach didn't agree with the drug when taken orally.)**

 **The therapy mentioned by Pawson, the method to fight a glioma/glioblastoma is indeed just undergoing clinical trials. It revolves around a peptide called chlorotoxin, derived from the poison of the deathstalker scorpion (** ** _Leiurus quinquestriatus_** **), one of the most dangerous scorpions there is. Gliomas are notoriously difficult to see through MRT or a different kind of screening method. Chlorotoxin, in layman's terms, clings onto the cancerous cells and paints them in a different color (just a figure of speech - there is no color involved), so they show up during an MRT screening. This in turn allows the surgeon to successfully remove the entire tumor without causing extensive damage to the surrounding brain tissue. Initial results are quite promising, as far as I know. (The things you learn through browsing Wikipedia …)**

 **And of course Vivian is quite knowledgeable when it comes to cancer. You cannot be afflicted with such a serious condition and not learn everything there is to learn about it.**

 **I know most of this is difficult to understand. In case you need further explanations, just let me know, okay? (Just so you know, all of this is about to become highly important in "Hammer to Fall!")**

 **On a more funny side note, the German word for "guinea pig" (as in test subject, not as in mammal) is "Versuchskaninchen," test rabbit. Just one of the stranger quirks found in translation.**

 **In case you think that the Medal of Honor is too high an award, not befitting the accomplishments of Judy and Nick, I can see your point, but I disagree nonetheless. The definition of the prerequisites for being awarded the Medal of Honor, as stated by Bogo, was taken, more or less verbatim, from the Wikipedia entry explaining the New York City Police Department Medal of Honor, which I used as a template for this. I have added the discussion between Clawhauser, Delgato, McHorn, Pennington, Trunkaby, Rhinowitz, and Caballus specifically to stress the point.**

 **Delgato's opinion is mine. Especially given the fact that Zootopia would pretty much not have been the same, had Judy and Nick not been successful, I'd say this warrants the highest honors the ZPD can bestow upon them. Feel free to disagree, but this is my story, and I tell it as I see fit. ;-)**

 **The quote mentioned by Moosebridge was taken from a rather famous German movie. I'm curious to see if anybody can find out where I found it. (Little hint here: The quote itself is German and was translated by yours truly, and the movie is quite old!)**

 **Well, so much for the basic plot line. Yes, it's finally done! About time too!**

 **Only that it isn't.**

 **Lionheart's back in office, but I still need to establish how Judy became a police officer beloved by the community and her peers again. I have begun doing so, but I'm not there yet. On tops of that, I also need to tie up a few loose ends, connecting my previous stories to this one. In my vision of Zootopia, everything is connected, and I need to show that before I can move on and return to "Hammer to Fall." Needless to say, and just so you know … this will still take quite a lot of chapters. Some of them, however, will be quite short - at least for me!**

 **First stop: A bunny's crucible.**

 **Now, what does he mean by that? Find out in the next installment of "How to Treat a Festering Wound!"**

 **Thank you very much for reading, and please let me know what you think of what I did here! Your reviews really brighten my days of toil and hardship!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	17. Chapter Seventeen - The Gauntlet I

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **And so it begins …**

 **A few months ago, before my life became so annoying, I would have called this chapter the beginning of the epilogue. I actually have alluded to this very chapter as being exactly that several times before. However, I've received so many comments and requests since then, so much input and inspiration, that the stuff I wanted to tell became bigger by the minute. Much like "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien, this really is a tale that grew in the telling. Is still growing, as a matter of fact.**

 **So no, this is not the beginning of the epilogue. Consider it to be the first chapter of Part Two of "Wound." As far as the timeline is concerned, this is a caesura - a few weeks have passed since the last chapter -, but nothing more than that. The topics I wanted to hit at the onset of this story have been dealt with, but there still are a lot of untold stories in my head. So prepare for some major mayhem!**

 **This chapter here actually is the first of several which belong together, covering a few days in the life of a certain bunny we all know and love. And the chapters actually go hand-in-hand (or rather paw-in-paw) with the motto song.**

 **Which actually has a story behind it. It's the title song for the first season of an anime-style web series named "RWBY" (pronounced "ruby"), created by the late Monyreak "Monty" Oum and produced by Rooster Teeth Productions, to be found on YouTube, among other places. I was alerted to its existence by one of my faithful readers, Galaxyexplorer74. Now, I must admit that anime and manga aren't exactly my cup of tea, but watching the series has been surprisingly entertaining. And I really liked the title song. And the lyrics really fit this chapter like a glove. As a matter of fact, the lyrics fit this particular part of my story so well, all interconnected upcoming chapters will begin with a quote taken from this very song, although not in the correct order. Thanks, Galaxyexplorer74, for this little gem!**

 **Now, to prevent any misunderstanding: This story won't be over after I'm done with that particular story arc. By my current count, it will contain at least twelve chapters after that, maybe even more. Not too sure at the moment. But hey, you know me: The stuff I do always gets bigger than originally intended! (Edit: Things have changed, obviously …)**

 **These are the stats thus far: More than 21,100 views, 185 reviews, 103 favorites, and 148 alerts. As always, thanks to all of you for making this such a worthwhile experience!**

 **A ginormous "Thank you" also goes out to my faithful reviewers, Combat Engineer, GhostWolf88, Mogor, Dirtkid123, Tinho, celtcath74, Irual, Robert Escher, Foxlover91, tweiler18, and DrummerMax64.**

 **Tinho actually found the quote from the author's notes of chapter fifteen about Man getting killed on the zebra crossing. Douglas Adams wrote it (** ** _"Oh, that was easy," says Man , and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing._** **) in his terribly funny book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." If you're into science fiction or into hilarity in general, you should definitely read the book (and its sequels). Congrats, Tinho! Here's to you! One Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, coming up! Drink … but … very carefully …**

 **DrummerMax64 thoroughly surprised me by finding the quote mentioned by Moosebridge. It was taken out of "Die Feuerzangenbowle" ("The Fire-Tongs Bowl" in English), a German movie from 1944 starring Heinz Rühmann and a virtually unknown actor named Erich Ponto. The character played by Ponto, a teacher named Professor Crey, nicknamed "Schnauz," has this to say about education: "Mit der Schule ist es wie mit der Medizin.** **Sie muss bitter schmecken, sonst nützt sie nichts!" ("School is like medicine.** **Its taste has to be bitter, otherwise it is useless.") My wife, who's a teacher herself, thoroughly despises this notion, but the sentence (and its delivery by Ponto) is so outrageously funny, I wanted to include it in one of my stories for years. Kudos to you, DrummerMax! Never thought somebody might find this one! I guess you deserve a blueberry wine for your effort! But always keep the alcoholic fermentation in mind, because it produces alcohol! (Another infamous quote from the movie: "Die alkoholische Gärung erzeugt Alkohol!" One classroom full of students pretending to be drunk as a skunk! Hilarious!)**

 **All other quotes remain hidden so far! Come on! It's not that difficult, you know!**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

 **The Gauntlet I**

 _This world's unforgiving. Even brilliant lights will cease to burn._

Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams: "This Will Be The Day" (Written by Jeff Williams, from the album "RWBY Volume 1 Soundtrack," Rooster Teeth Productions, 2013)

* * *

 **McDonkey's Fast Food Restaurant, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

The caribou working behind the counter looked down at her latest customer with a frown. It wasn't every day that a bunny walked into a fast food restaurant. Most of her species were notoriously straight-laced when it came to food, with almost all of them despising the mere idea of eating junk food.

Yet she was a customer.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," the caribou said. "What may I do for you?"

"Erm, good afternoon!" The bunny took a deep breath. "I'd like to have one Huge Fish Mac, a Cricket McNuggets Meal with curry sauce and fries, and one Cowca-Cowla, but no ice, please."

It was as if life within the restaurant itself was suspended for a few seconds as every mammal in there turned their heads towards the bunny.

"What?" the doe said quickly, in a blatantly obvious attempt to hide her embarrassment. "My superior's a lion, and he doesn't like to wait. So may I ask you to, please, hurry up?"

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia - Five Hours Earlier**

Two tall mammals were standing up on the mezzanine surrounding the main lobby of ZPD's Precinct One. Both were watching in silence as Clawhauser, after several weeks of enforced reassignment and two weeks of well-deserved vacation, was finally reclaiming his old hunting grounds.

When Higgins and Rhinowitz approached the cheetah to present him with two enormous boxes full of donuts, one of the mammals smiled. "Your idea?"

"No. Pennington came up with this, and Rhinowitz walked over to buy them," the other mammal said. "Clawhauser could certainly use a little cheering up after what I had to do to him."

"It wasn't your fault."

"It still felt awful. Still does, especially since I know now that none of it had been necessary."

Both mammal's gazes went over to the huge revolving doors, where a rather small mammal wearing the blue uniform of a police officer had just appeared. She stopped for a moment, looking at the scene which played out in front of her, then she walked straight towards the receptionist's counter. Clawhauser gave her a happy wave while munching on one of the donuts.

"Our new celebrity," the first mammal said.

"What do you think of her?" the other one asked.

"Young. Energetic. Definitely with the makings of a true police officer, although I think it's too early to tell whether she'll one day become a good one." A pause. "Any particular reason why you're asking?"

"Do you like her?"

"I actually never asked myself the question."

"Do you?"

"I don't even know her! How could I possibly be answering this question?"

"Do you hold a grudge against her?"

"Why? Just because Bellwether used her as an excuse to wreak havoc upon this city? Hopps had no idea what she was talking about. Bellwether had. That one's on the sheep, and her alone." A pause. "You want me to team up with her."

"I do. McHorn asked for a few days off. With our staff level having been stretched so thin, he had to work on almost every day for more than two straight months. He came to me and merely said he needed a few days to recharge his batteries. Which in turn means you're out of a partner. Would you be okay with her taking his place? Only temporarily, of course, until McHorn is back."

"Have I ever questioned your assignments? You know perfectly well that I'll do whatever you tell me to do. But why are you telling me now? Why didn't you wait until roll call?"

"Because I may have a big favor to ask of you."

"Which is?"

"You really hold no grudge against her?"

"Do I need to put it in writing? I'm perfectly okay with her, and I certainly don't mind her presence here. And I don't mind being put in a team with her either. I have no problems with Hopps at all. Nothing of it was her fault."

"Good. I needed to make sure. Now, what if she's under the impression that you _do_ hold a grudge against her?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"When I received my Medal of Honor, I had more than ten years of service under my belt. My Chief back then, Michael Ironhide, made sure it wouldn't go to my head by putting me on parking duty for two weeks, and I already was a Lieutenant back then. Was a very wholesome experience, let me tell you. All she has in terms of experience is _three months_ , most of which were spent in self-imposed exile. It's enough to make any mammal's head go topsy-turvy. Before she joined us, one of her instructors explicitly called her overambitious, ruthless, selfish. One of those mammals who thinks that, just because she's found one thing she's any good at, that she's better at it than anybody else. On her very first day, she rubbed the fact that she was valedictorian of her class under my nose. Sounds dangerously close to hubris to me."

"She didn't sound too overbearing to me during her second press conference."

"I agree, but are you willing to bet your life on it? What if she really thinks she's better than anyone else, now that she's been given the Medal of Honor?"

"If you doubt her, maybe you shouldn't have given it to her in the first place."

"No, I think she deserves it. But you have to admit the situation isn't necessarily ideal. What if there's a certain amount of hubris still dormant within her? What if it comes to the surface at the worst possible moment? What if your life depends on her actions, and what if she fails to react properly, just because she thinks she's better than she actually is?"

"That would certainly be … bad."

"And what if her inherent prejudice against predators is still there? She hails from a community which consists almost exclusively of rabbits. The number of predators she had seen before coming to Zootopia can't have been all that big. She openly admitted to having been prejudiced towards predators. What if she isn't cured? What if her fear towards guys like you comes to the surface when your life depends on what she does?"

"That might be even worse."

"See, and that's why I need you to team up with her."

"Why me?"

"Because you are one of the mammals who lost his job because of what she did during the first press conference. Because you are, by default, one of the most scary predators on the force. Because you can be as intimidating as the devil himself."

"You want me to scare her?"

"No, I merely want you to show her what she's in for, preferably in the worst possible way. She needs to work together with predators on a constant basis. You can't work at Precinct One without the need to team up with predators every now and then. She needs to be okay with this, otherwise she may turn out to be dead weight when we need her to be at the top of her game. You also need to show her her place. If she isn't aware of who's in charge at all times, she may turn out to be useless to us."

"You know I was brought up in the firm belief that displaying my predatory assets in the presence of prey is as bad as it can be. I try my hardest to never be intimidating towards my peers and colleagues."

"I know, and I approve. But I also know you can be quite different when need arises." A pause. "So, will you do it?"

"I told you before that I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"This is different. It's not something I can order you to do, because it's awfully close to harassment. This is why I'm merely asking you if you're willing to do it."

"I am. Although, just for the record, I will probably not like it very much."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But you realize that it needs to be done."

"I agree with you, and I'll do it."

"Thank you."

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Briefing Room A aka "Bullpen," City Center, Zootopia**

"Delgato, Sahara Square patrol. Since McHorn asked for a few days of R&R, Hopps will be your partner this week."

Frederick Delgato simply nodded and got up from his chair. Walking towards the empty space leading towards the exit, he came across Hopps who was standing in front of him, a wide smile on her face and her paw raised, obviously expecting a paw bump. "Hi! Ready to make the world a better place?"

Delgato stared down at her without moving, and Hopps's smile visibly faltered. "Where I come from, Hopps" he finally said, "we greet each other with 'Good Morning.'"

Hopps dropped her paw immediately. "Of course. Good morning, Delgato."

"I am your superior officer. You will address me with 'Sergeant' or 'sir,' Hopps."

Any inkling of happiness fled Hopps in an instant. Instead, she straightened herself and gave him a very crisp salute. "Of course, sir! Good morning, Sergeant!"

"Better. Now, let's get to it. Crime doesn't sleep."

He had counted on Hopps to make a comment on this, but she merely nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to walk past her. Ignoring the incredulous stares from their workmates, he left the bullpen with Hopps in tow, who had to hasten to match his long strides.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Parking Lot, Patrol Vehicle A113, City Center, Zootopia**

"Dispatch, this is One-13, ready to assume patrol." Delgato fastened his seat belt.

Immediately, Clawhauser's voice filled the driver's cabin. " _Acknowledged, One-13! Oh, and before I forget, I heard you've been promoted. Congrats, Freddie!_ "

"Thanks, Ben. And congrats for being back where you belong. 13 over."

" _Thank you! Dispatch out_." The radio fell silent again.

Delgato looked down at Hoops, who was visibly struggling with her seat belt. Their police cruiser had been built following a very specific set of rules. It was roomy enough to allow for four rhino-sized passengers to fit in comfortably, and to be able to use its controls, a certain height and size also was a necessity. Consequently, everything in it was way too large for a rabbit. Nobody had ever thought of ordering cars befitting small mammals so far, not with only one small mammal being on the roster. Cruisers which were truly adapted to be used by small mammals were non-existent. Even the three-wheeled patrol car which Hopps had used while on parking duty hadn't been a custom-built car designed with small police officers in mind. Procurement and Logistics had simply bought a cheap electric car and refitted it with lights, a siren, and all the doodads and do-hickeys a bunny cop might need in the line of duty.

For occasions like these, several full sets of booster seats of various shapes and sizes could be found in the lockers situated on the parking lot, but Delgato had opted to not tell Hopps. Not before knowing whether she was willing to walk the full mile alongside a huge predator.

Finally, after almost one minute of struggle, Hopps had managed to fasten the seat belt. Now she was just sitting there, almost vanishing in a seat fifteen sizes to large for her, with a seat belt slung over her chest so high, it looked like it was about to strangle her. A certain lack of happiness was etched on her face. Ever since Delgato had given her an earful during roll call, she hadn't uttered one single word. Every ounce of excitement or even contentment she had displayed during her arrival at Precinct One had completely evaporated. There no longer was a spring in her step. A distinct scowl showed on her features. She looked tense, on the edge.

Probably because she was in close quarters with a predator large enough to swallow her whole.

"Are you ready, Hopps?"

"I am always ready, sir," came the terse reply.

"Good." Delgato started the cruiser's engines, and with a low rumble, the vehicle started to roll.

There were times when he truly hated his job.

* * *

 **Patrol Vehicle A113, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

Several hours later, after a largely uneventful patrol, Delgato felt torn.

It felt like he was doing the patrol all by his lonesome.

Sure, Hopps had been with him all the time, and she had done everything a good police officer had to do, and perfectly at that. She had guarded him when they had approached a speeding vehicle. She had pointed out a possible 10-31 to him (merely a small-time pickpocket whom they had managed to catch quickly). She had been silent, watchful, observant.

Yet the number of words Hopps had said to him, apart from pointing out crimes-in-progress or anything work-related, could have been counted on one paw.

He truly missed the snide remarks of his old friend and partner, Brian McHorn. He missed the silly jokes and harmless banter.

Instead, he was stuck with a morose bunny.

And he couldn't help thinking that it was all his fault.

 _It needs to be done, Freddie_ , he reminded himself.

He found an empty parking space and stopped the cruiser. "I don't know about you, Hopps, but I could use a break. Hungry?"

"Not really, sir," Hopps replied immediately.

"Well, I am." He pressed the button on the control panel. "Dispatch, this is One-13. We're 10-7 for half an hour. Over."

" _10-4, 13_ ," Clawhauser said after two seconds. " _Enjoy your meal! Over_."

"I will! 13 out." Delgato lunged for his wallet while looking through their cruiser's windscreen. There was a rather infamous fast food restaurant nearby, one frequented by a lot of predator officers. Delgato wasn't all that fond of fast food actually, since he considered the stuff to be too expensive and never leaving him truly sated or satisfied, but in default of a soul, the devil puts up with a fly. He pointed towards the place. "Why don't you go and fetch something? Here's a double sawbuck. I'd like a Cricket McNuggets Meal with fries, curry sauce with that, a Cowca-Cowla without ice, oh, and one Huge Fish Mac."

Hopps took the proffered bill. "At once, sir!" Without another word, she left the cruiser. This time, she managed to slam the door while jumping down at the same time, something she had failed to do the first three times she had left the cruiser.

Delgato watched after her as she walked towards the restaurant with fast, purposeful strides.

 _I have just sent her into the literal lion's den!_

It was a well-known fact that no bunny would ever enter a fast food restaurant of their own volition. Their distaste for non-organic food was proverbial. On top of that, you would probably be hard-pressed to find any prey mammal in a place like that at any given time.

And he had told her to order stuff no self-respecting bunny would ever touch with a ten-foot pole. _Could_ ever touch with a ten-foot pole. Bunnies are obligate vegetarians, everybody knew that.

He could just imagine the stares the young doe would receive.

A few minutes later, Hopps reappeared, struggling to carry a paper bag almost as big as she was, which seriously hampered her field of vision. When crossing the bikeway, she almost collided with a weasel on a bicycle, apologizing profusely to the mustelid. Finally, after almost one minute, she had finally made it to the cruiser, but there was no way for her to be able to open the door and hold onto the bag at the same time.

With a sigh, Delgato left the cruiser to open the door for her. When she was still unable to enter the vehicle again, he took the paper bag and walked back towards the driver's side of the cruiser. When he climbed back into their car, she was already sitting in it, offering money to him. "Here's your change, sir."

Delgato nodded while taking the money. He then opened the bag, finding all the items he had asked her to buy, but nothing else. "You didn't get something for yourself?"

"I told you I'm not hungry, sir."

"You haven't eaten anything for more than four hours, Hopps!" When she didn't give a reply, Delgato shrugged. "Have it your way then. You wanna have a few fries, at least?"

"No, sir."

"One Cricket McNuggets?"

"Certainly not, sir."

A very eerie silence filled the cabin as Delgato unwrapped the big fish burger, which was almost twice as big as Hopps's head. Out of the corner of an eye, Delgato saw Hopps watching him prepare his lunch. When he finally opened his mouth to take a bite, he made sure to put his fangs on full display. Something he hadn't done in years, something his mother would have read him the riot act for.

Hopps gave a dry swallow.

Trying his hardest to chew in a manner he hoped would look nonchalant, he asked, with his mouth still being about half full: "How's your leg?"

"Fine, sir." There was a slight tremble to Hopps's voice.

He swallowed. "You had some extensive muscle damage, I heard."

"Like I said, it's fine, sir. I was cleared for duty, sir. I certainly wouldn't have been, had the injury not been fully healed, sir."

Delgato raised an eyebrow. That was the longest statement she had made in his presence all day.

And he had never been called "sir" three times in one utterance.

It was an unspoken rule that police officers working on the beat rarely used ranks or titles among themselves. While some opted to use nicknames, just like Air Force pilots did, most simply called each other by their respective first names. Delgato had been called Freddie for most of his career, and he had never insisted on being called "sir" or being addressed by his rank.

And it felt increasingly foul to do this to her.

"Muscle injuries are not to be trifled with," he said while taking another bite, making sure Hopps would still be able to see his predatory denture in all its glory. When he saw her turn her head sideways, opting to look out of the side window instead, he knew he had succeeded.

Without looking at him, she stated: "I am fully healed, sir. I was even able to go for a bit of running this morning, sir."

"You went for a run?"

"I did, sir. I do it at least every other day, sir."

Delgato had never liked running very much, he had always preferred to stay in shape simply by doing his usual judo training, three times a week. "Do you enjoy it?"

"I do, sir, particularly with my new partner."

Delgato made a frown and looked at her. "Your new partner?"

Since she had still turned her head away, he wasn't entirely sure, but a hint of a smile seemed to grace her features. "Nick Wilde asked me to help him improve his stamina, so we went on the run together, sir."

 _Bogo will certainly like to hear that he's that determined_ , Delgato thought. "He's really serious about becoming a police officer?"

At this, Hopps turned her head again and gave him a look that screamed annoyance. "It sounds like you don't approve, sir."

For a fleeting second, Delgato was torn between denying or confirming it. He had no problems with Wilde becoming a police officer, just as he had no problems with Hopps being one.

She was annoyed enough with him already. Was it really wise to antagonize her any further?

"Oh, I do approve. But I happen to know that he wasn't exactly a law-abiding citizen so far. Is his heart really in it?"

"It is, sir."

"Are you sure? You know that your life could depend on it."

At this, Hopps gave a scowl, dropping every last pretense of wanting to be friendly towards him. "I have put my life into Nick's paws, sir. He didn't let me down. He offered his assistance when nobody else was willing to do so. So I would ask you to never question the trustworthiness and integrity of my friend again!" She made a pause and added, very tersely: "Sir."

Delgato couldn't help staring at her open-mouthed.

Over the course of the last few hours, he had heaped an enormous amount of abuse on her, but she had taken everything in stride. Until now.

Until he had belittled her friend.

 _Very interesting, this!_

"I won't, Hopps," he heard himself say.

 _Now why did I just say this?_

"Good," Hopps countered and looked out of the side window again.

Delgato heaved a sigh. "Listen, Hopps, I know your friend has been mistreated for most of his life. I know how that feels, believe me! When Bellwether forced Bogo to kick me out … do you honestly think it felt nice?"

At this, Hopps's ears drooped, and she turned back towards him, a look of contriteness on her features. "I'm sorry, sir."

"For what?"

"For being the reason the Chief had to suspend you."

Delgato shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, Hopps. Bellwether merely used you, and if she hadn't, she would have found another mammal to hoodwink. Besides, I was reinstated, I was promoted, I received an award for Exceptional Merit _and_ financial compensation, so no harm's been done."

"I'm glad to hear that, sir. And congratulations on your promotion, Sergeant."

"Thank you, Hopps."

Hopps looked out of the side window again, and the eerie silence once again enveloped them like an uncomfortably tight glove. Delgato just sat there, completely unsure what to do next.

He had, on Bogo's request, mistreated Hopps constantly. He had tried to push all her buttons, antagonizing her in the process. He had hated doing it, but Bogo had been right: The only way to harden a sword is by exposing it to intense heat.

He just hoped he hadn't overdone it.

 _I have! I most certainly have! She thoroughly hates me now!_

 _Way to go, Freddie!_

He was just about to open his mouth to apologize to Hopps, when her ears suddenly became erect again. "10-31 in progress, sir!" she said.

"What? Where?"

She pointed towards two wolves. "Suspected drug-trafficking."

Delgato's gaze followed her gesture, and sure enough, he saw the two mammals exchange small packages and money, all the while watching their surroundings. "And in plain sight of a police cruiser! The nerve!"

"Obviousness is the best disguise, sir."

 _A sentence taken straight out of one of the Academy books_. "Let's get the bastards!"

* * *

 **I have stressed this point several times already, still I know this is subject to debate on this fanfiction site: Judy really is an obligate herbivore. Every bunny is. She had to reject Delgato's offer, simply because she cannot digest meat/insects. Tiny amounts may be okay, but having her feast on a lion-sized Cricket McNugget is a sure-fire method to kill her. A rabbit's intestinal tract is quite long, typical for a herbivore, and it offers little in terms of muscles. The deal's basically this: new food goes in, old food goes out. (It's more complicated than that, of course, especially when adding stuff like their massive cecum, hindgut digestion and everything in between.) This means two things: One, bunnies cannot vomit, two, food they cannot digest, like meat, stays in there. And may rot in there. Which will lead to a very painful, very horrible death.**

 **I'm not exaggerating here - I wish I were. Feed a rabbit meat, it dies. Feed it hay, and it has everything it'll ever need.**

 **I also added a mistake in here, albeit a deliberate one, just for the sake of the storyline: Not allowing a rabbit to eat for more than several hours is a sure way to cause problems. Rabbits need to eat on an almost constant basis, just because of the lack of intestinal muscles. Having Judy go without food for so long a time will surely weaken her. Maybe she found a way to eat her own poop somewhere down the road, I don't know.**

 **Yes, bunnies eat their own excrements, at least parts of it - this is called coprophagy. In case you're interested in learning the details, the Wikipedia entry on Rabbits explains this in sufficient detail.**

 **The fact that Delgato was promoted and received an award and financial compensation for having done police work while being illegally suspended is in fact a nod to one of my most faithful reviewers, Combat Engineer, who has pestered me about this for weeks, and rightfully so, I might add. CE kept asking for any sort of compensation for the poor predators who had been made to suffer by Bellwether and her cronies. While I totally agreed with this point of view, I never quite found the opportunity to do it, until now. I sincerely hope you're finally satisfied, Combat Engineer!**

 **And just in case you're wondering, no, I don't hold the criticism against CE, to the contrary! I really appreciate the thought invested on my story, the perfectly justified criticism. It was an oversight I never really cared about until it was persistently rubbed under my nose. Thanks for that!**

 **In case you come across a similar oversight of mine, a similar mistake, please let me know, so I can do something about it, okay?**

 **Another reference to one of the Harry Potter movies can be found in here.**

 **And has anyone found the PIXAR reference yet?**

 **That's it for this chapter! Thanks for reading! And please, send me your reviews!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	18. Chapter Eighteen - The Gauntlet II

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **My new story arc obviously surprised a lot of you a lot, but I have toyed with this idea for months. The reason for this lies in my very own, personal history, which I was reminded of by looking at old photos with my wife and my brother after my father's death. Among those were the ones showing me in the uniform of a soldier of the German Bundeswehr.**

 **Now, before you get the wrong idea, I don't remember the time fondly. Becoming a soldier probably was the biggest mistake I ever made. I could explain now why that is the case, but I'm not particularly interested in delving into this any deeper - suffice to say that I'm no soldier material. I should have become a conscientious objector, instead I spent several completely wasted months trying to be a soldier, never even coming close to hitting the goal. Nuff said!**

 **Of course my wife, curious as she is, asked me about it, and while talking about one part of my past that's completely alien to her, a lot of almost forgotten memories came to the surface.**

 **Among them were memories of my basic military service, my time as a rookie. And this definitely is the period of time I remember least fondly, because, as every soldier will be able to tell you, hazing rookies has a very long tradition. As a rule, new recruits (commonly called "Frischlinge," piglets, in Germany) are subjected to a huge amount of abuse. Rookies simply are harassed on a constant basis, so I have first-hand experience. Later, when I became a drill instructor myself (and of course I haven't been a particularly good one), I was even encouraged to do it myself. Nothing I liked doing, to be honest, since I very much prefer getting along with my peers. So I can definitely feel with Delgato, who's forced into playing a role he doesn't really feel comfortable with.**

 **The way he treats Judy in this story, that's harmless. I have experienced much worse.**

 **Now, why do I let Judy run the gauntlet now? Simple: Yes, she solved the Savage Predators case, yes, she gained the Medal of Honor, yes, she's on her way to become a highly successful, much respected police officer. Still, at this stage, she's but a rookie. She has about three months of service under her belt, several weeks of which she spent in Bunnyburrow, having resigned the badge. And let's face it, without a huge amount of sheer dumb luck and a lot of help from Nick, she wouldn't have gotten where she is right now - she would probably be stone cold dead. She's inexperienced, and she hasn't proven her mettle yet. Bogo is well-advised to put her to the test. I would do the exact same thing - probably in a different manner, but I'd do it nonetheless.**

 **And I want to show how and why Judy becomes a police officer who's respected by her peers and held in the highest regard. And to get to the top, you have to start at the bottom.**

 **And yes, she and Delgato will turn out to be friends eventually. If you remember my "Nightmare" story (back then, I still thought Delgato was a tiger - I'm going to change that very soon…), you'll see that he holds her in the highest esteem, telling Judy's parents the she is, and I quote, "our favorite bunny." But before we get there, a lot of water will need to pass under the bridge.**

 **These are the current stats: Views have reached almost 22,300, with 196 reviews, 105 favorites, and 149 alerts. I bow down in gratitude to all of you!**

 **I also bow down to GhostWolf88, Combat Engineer, Story. Writer. 2015, Lone-Wonderer, DrummerMax64, niraD, poynton90, Mogor, The Valeyard, Dirtkid123, and Foxlover91 (so glad that you pulled through!) for reviewing this story!**

 **The Valeyard alerted me to an interesting mistake of mine, one that actually is a bit embarrassing to me, since I should have known better: The infamous and quite hackneyed "over and out" phrase, while used in abundance in Hollywood, is wrong, and in real radio communications, the words are never used at the same time, because they are a contradiction in terms. "Over" signalizes to the receiver that you're done talking and expect a reply. "Out," on the other hand, signalizes that the statement is both complete and intended to end the conversation, so NO reply is expected, and the caller will hang up. So "over and out" basically says: "I'm done and expecting a reply, but don't bother giving one, because I'm going to hang up on you!"**

 **I should have known better than to use both at the same time, because it's the same deal in Germany, and I learned about the proper rules of communication while being a soldier. You end your transmission with "Kommen!" or "Bitte kommen!" (Come in please!) when a reply is expected, you end it with "Ende!" (End!) when you expect none. To give both phrases in one sentence is so stupid, I would never have done it. But I did in this story, and I've done it before, several times actually.**

 **Thanks, Valeyard, for telling me! Won't happen again! And should I really find the time to review and edit my stories, I will certainly change this! (Edit: I just did.)**

 **The PIXAR reference was, of course, the patrol car's designation, A113, the name of one of the classrooms at California Institute of the Arts, which was visited by a lot of animators who later found work at PIXAR, Disney or similar companies. PIXAR has made it a habit of hiding "A113" in all of their movies, and there are a lot of references to it in other movies, animated or otherwise. And none other than DrummerMax64 found it first. Of course, I should say! Congrats, but that one probably was way too easy.**

 **Yet, there still are several quotes to be found in this story. I'm still waiting, you know …**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

 **The Gauntlet II**

* * *

 _They see you as small and helpless. They see you as just a child. Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild._

Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams: "This Will Be The Day" (Written by Jeff Williams, from the album "RWBY Volume 1 Soundtrack," Rooster Teeth Productions, 2013)

* * *

 **Patrol Vehicle A113, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

Delgato had fully expected Hopps to jump out of the cruiser at once, if only to get out of the huge predator's immediate vicinity. To his surprise, she remained seated and calmly checked whether her taser gun was properly charged. After putting it back in the holster, she said: "I'm ready, Sergeant! I will cover you, sir!"

Delgato nodded, and after telling Clawhauser at Dispatch about the situation, he stepped out of the car, with Hopps following suit. He looked over his shoulder, down at her. She was walking behind him at a distance of roughly five of his steps, her right paw resting on her hip, near the taser. Just as regulation dictated.

 _And yet another textbook approach!_

If there was one thing that had struck him as remarkable, it had been the fact that everything Hopps had done so far, be it approaching suspects or dealing with civilians asking for advice, could have served as an example on the Academy. It seemed that she had read every textbook used during training and thoroughly memorized their contents, down to the last letter.

Bogo had told him that she had been valedictorian of her class. He didn't doubt this for one second.

As they closed in on the two wolves, neither of whom seemed to have spotted them so far, surprisingly enough, Delgato looked at Hopps again, grinning this time. "Wanna know how I became the riot at every party?"

Hopps didn't reply - she didn't even look at him. All she had eyes for were the two wolves. Delgato shrugged and turned his head towards them, too. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth wide and let loose with a wail that sounded astonishingly similar to the siren of a police cruiser.

Both wolves's heads shot up, looking in their direction. "Good afternoon, Gentlemammals," Delgato said affably, smiling at them. "General identity check. May I see …"

This was as far as he got, because both wolves turned away from them and ran down the street.

And they were alarmingly fast.

"Shit!" Delgato exclaimed and broke into a run himself. He had never been much of a runner, neither when it came to outright speed nor when it came to endurance. He simply was too big to be nimble and too heavy to be fast, and since he rarely bothered with pure cardio training, any pursuit taking longer than maybe two minutes left him completely winded. And given the fact that both wolves opened up a sizeable gap within seconds, it became obvious that the odds weren't in his favor. He lunged for his taser automatically, but he knew that his chances of being able to hit the perps while they were all running as fast as they were able to were virtually nonexistent.

 _I'm losing them! Great! Way to …_

Suddenly he heard a female voice shout: "Stop! In the name of the law!"

And a blue and gray blur shot past him.

Of course, the wolves didn't stop, to the contrary. They tried to run even faster.

Still, the tiny blue and gray speck was gaining on them, fast.

Delgato watched in fascination as Hopps, having closed the gap to the slower of the two significantly, suddenly jumped up and delivered a devastating dropkick to the wolf's back. The mammal was literally catapulted off his paws and crashed head-first into a piece of shrubbery lining the pavement. And with this being Sahara Square, the bush offered little when it came to leaves, but plenty when it came to thorns. With a yelp of pain, the wolf became completely entangled within the bush, thrashing wildly, tearing his silk shirt to shreds. Within seconds, small portions of his gray fur began to turn red, as he started to bleed from several tiny wounds he was ripping into his skin in his desperate attempt to flee.

 _Getting him out again_ , Delgato thought, _will be a nightmare! And pulling the thorns out of his fur will be even worse!_

There was not even the slightest chance that the wolf would be able to extricate himself, there was no way for him to free himself on his own. Delgato ignored the culprit for the time being and continued his pursuit.

Only to find out that it was already almost over.

The other wolf, having heard the cry of pain and having realized that his pursuer was no more than a tiny bunny, stopped and turned around.

And Delgato heard rather than saw the unmistakable flick of a switchblade.

With a jolt of almost physical pain, Delgato became aware of the fact that Hopps was on her own. He was much too slow and much to far away to assist Hopps in taking down the wolf. Both were still more than fifty yards ahead of Delgato. He slowed down and raised his paw holding the taser gun, but he knew he would neither be fast enough nor able to hit the wolf at this distance. Not with a taser.

All the wolf needed to do to take down the bunny was one quick thrust of his paw.

A thrust he delivered immediately.

But his attempt never hit the mark.

Without slowing down, Hopps had jumped up again, sailing right over the threatening blade. Turning around in mid-air to somersault over the wolf, she delivered a slap to one of the wolf's ears. Not a powerful slap by any means, but it was enough for the wolf to slightly lose his balance.

Apparently, that was all Hopps needed.

Having landed on her paws behind the wolf, his back turned towards her, she jumped up again just as he was turning around, and a kick so fast that Delgato was barely able to see it knocked the switchblade out of the wolf's paw. With a clatter, it fell to the pavement, right in front of Delgato.

The wolf, disarmed, gave a snarl and lunged for Hopps, his claws swishing through the air menacingly. His attempt at a strike, however, went wide as Hopps merely ducked.

And like a coiled spring, she used her crouch to gain momentum and jumped up again, paw extended.

Suddenly the words of one of Delgato's judo trainers popped up in his mind.

 _Even the weakest mammals can be enormously powerful, when kinetic energy is their ally._

With enough force to shatter bricks, Hopps's paw connected with the wolf's midsection, at exactly the right spot. So fierce was the punch that the wolf was lifted off his paws for a fraction of a second. The much larger mammal gave a gasp of pain and staggered, trying his hardest to take a breath, but with his diaphragm being temporarily paralyzed, it was an exercise in futility. With almost comical slowness, the wolf sank to his knees, then he fell to the side, gasping and whining in obvious pain.

Delgato slowed down to a stop, breathing heavily.

 _What the heck has just happened?_

He would have lost the culprits. Even with McHorn by his side, they still would have lost them.

Hopps had caught both of them, all on her own.

And it had looked as if it had been ridiculously easy to her.

 _That's the second time I got my ass handed to me by a small mammal!_

Delgato suppressed a sigh.

 _I'm getting old!_

Hopps straightened herself and said, very matter-of-factly: "You, sir, are under arrest for suspected drug trafficking, resisting arrest, obstructing a police officer in the performance of her duties, and attempted murder of said police officer with a bladed weapon. You have the right …"

 _Damn it, she isn't even out of breath!_

Delgato was deeply impressed.

But he knew he wouldn't be allowed to show it.

 _I hate you, Adrian Bogo!_

"Hopps!" Delgato shouted.

Hopps turned around, standing at attention. "Sir?"

"What were you thinking?" he snarled. "Attacking two wolves? Do you have a death wish or what?"

Hopps looked up at him, her features hardening slowly. "What should I have done, sir? Let them get away?" Her voice was just as frosty as her whole demeanor.

"When you are faced with a situation like that, you retreat, call in and wait for backup!"

Hopps took a deep breath. "With all due respect, sir," she said in a tone indicating she felt no respect for him at all, "if I had done that, those two would have been over the hills and far away!"

"Then let them get away! Better that than risking your life!"

Hopps looked down at herself as if checking whether she was still in one piece. "I'm fine, thanks for asking, sir!"

Delgato shook his head.

The problem was that she was right.

She had taken down both wolves with the greatest of ease. Even though one of them had been armed, she had never been under any sort of threat, much less a threat for her life. The wolf would never have been able to hit her - she had been way too fast for this. She had merely evaluated the situation, realized she could take them out without putting herself in any danger, and had acted accordingly.

And she had done it in a most efficient manner, with little effort and to devastating effect.

He should be lauding her.

Instead he was giving her hell for this.

 _I hate you, Frederick Delgato!_

"The next time we come across a situation like this, we play this by the book! You take matters into your own paws again, I will tear you apart, starting with your overlong ears!"

Said ears drooped immediately as Hopps looked up again.

And if the old cliché of looks that could kill had really been true, Delgato would have perished on the spot.

Suddenly, and quite irrationally, a sliver of fear went up Delgato's back.

 _I have just provoked one seriously dangerous mammal!_

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Second Floor, Office Cubicles, City Center, Zootopia**

With a sigh, Delgato took the last page out of the printer, read it one final time, and signed it. Writing reports was the part of the job most police officers hated most. Delgato himself would have preferred facing a host of armed thugs to writing about arrested perps in quadruplicate.

Still, it had to be done.

Just like the hazing of Hopps had been necessary.

He leant back in his office chair, glad that she wasn't around at the moment. Wouldn't be around for the remainder of the day. Since their duty hours had ended half an hour ago, she had left the building a few minutes ago, without saying her good-byes to him. He had, however, distinctly heard her make her farewells for the day to Pennington, with whom she seemed to have developed a really good rapport.

It was the very same elephant who was just walking over, with surprisingly silent steps. Only his long experience of serving with her and his excellent sense of hearing told him that she was approaching.

"What's up, Freddie?" she asked. "Hopps looked like she's on the warpath."

 _She probably is_ , Delgato thought.

"Sorry, Francine, but that's between Hopps and me." _And Bogo_.

Pennington gave a chuckle. "That's the worst heap of bullshit I've heard in a long time! What's the deal? Did she outshine you, and you tried to cut her down to size?"

Delgato stood up, trying to stare Pennington down. "I'm not about to discuss this with you, Francine!"

"Why not? Did you molest her? Did she molest you? Was …"

Delgato raised a paw, silencing her. "Please, Francine, the day was shitty enough already. Don't make it worse!"

Suddenly, a loud baritone voice easily drowned out all other noises. "Delgato! My office! Now!"

 _And it just got worse!_

Grabbing the freshly printed report, he pushed his way past Pennington. "Sorry. I don't want to make the Chief wait."

"You shouldn't. See you!"

"Have a nice day, Francine."

"You too, Freddie."

With fast steps, Delgato walked down one set of stairs and arrived at Bogo's office in less than a minute. Knocking tentatively, he heard the cape buffalo shout "Come in!" immediately. With a slight sense of dread, he opened the door and entered the room.

"Delgato," Bogo said. "Have a seat."

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" Delgato asked, probably unnecessarily.

"Indeed. You have written your own report, I see. May I have it?"

"Of course, sir."

He gave his report to Bogo, who surprised him by merely putting it down on the desktop. "So, how was your first day with Hopps?"

Delgato heaved a sigh, inwardly pleased that Bogo didn't seem to be angry at him. It wouldn't have surprised him if he had been, because he was quite certain that Hopps had visited him earlier to complain about Delgato's behavior.

Still, he had no idea how to put all this into words.

"That bad, huh?" Bogo asked.

Delgato sighed again. "I don't think I have ever enjoyed a day of duty less than today."

"So you harassed her?"

"I did. Several times. And I can't shake the feeling that she thoroughly hates me right now."

"You think so?"

"I know it."

"Are you sure? When she was here half an hour ago, she seemed fine. A bit strained, maybe a bit tired, but fine."

"She didn't mention me?"

"No, she didn't. All she did was hand in her own report." He pointed to a sizeable stack of papers lying next to Delgato's report. It was easily three times bigger.

"That's her report?" Delgato asked. "All this?"

"All this." Bogo gave a grin that looked somewhat dirty. "As you can probably imagine just by looking at it, it's incredibly detailed. Perhaps I need to tell her one day that it isn't exactly necessary to mention the eye color of the culprits you have arrested."

"So you read it."

"I did, and I came across something that struck me as odd."

"What do you mean?"

"As thorough and well-written as her report is, it becomes surprisingly shallow on the details when it comes to the arrest of the drug traffickers."

"How so?"

"Let me read your version first before I tell you." Bogo put on his glasses, picked up Delgato's report and thumbed through it. The Chief was well known for being an incredibly fast reader, taking in and memorizing even the tiniest details in less time than it took most other mammals to merely read the first page.

It was less than two minutes later that he put the report down again, one of his rare smiles on his face. "So she basically did all the work."

"She did."

"What's your impression? Was there any moment during all of this where you had the feeling she was in way over her head?"

"No, not even remotely. The wolves could have carried guns, she would still have taken them out without breaking a sweat. I have rarely seen a mammal move that fast. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she did it in spectacular fashion. Her approach was absolutely textbook."

"Ah. You wanna know what Hopps wrote?"

"Please, sir."

Bogo adjusted his glasses while picking up Hopps's report. "Where is it? Ah, here. Alright. 'During our lunch break, Sergeant Delgato and I noticed two timber wolves who appeared to be in the middle of some illicit transaction.' She goes on to describe both wolves in minute detail. Then it gets interesting. 'We left our patrol car together, and Sergeant Delgato alerted the suspects to our presence.'" Bogo looked up. "What did you do?"

Delgato gave a weak smile. "I did my usual police siren shtick."

Bogo actually chuckled at that. "Motormouth Delgato has struck again?" Looking down at the report, he continued to read. "'Once the suspects became aware of our presence, they took flight immediately. We pursued them at once and managed to subdue both mammals. During our pursuit, one of the suspects was thrown into an _Acacia victoriae_ ,' what the heck is that?"

Delgato shrugged. "A very prickly bush."

"Ah. 'One of the suspects was thrown into an _Acacia victoriae_ , suffering slight lacerations in the process, the other suspect was mostly unharmed. After having called for an ambulance, and after the medics had taken care of the injuries, we took both suspects into custody and brought them to Precinct One.'" He made a pause. "And that's it."

"That's it?" Delgato was flabbergasted. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing else indeed. And now you tell me," he pointed at Delgato's report, "that Hopps kicked one of them into a prickly bush and took the other guy out by punching him in the solar plexus."

"That's what happened, sir."

"Any idea why Hopps would have neglected to mention that it was her, and her alone, who did all the work?"

Delgato merely shrugged. "No idea."

Bogo pondered about this a bit. "Did she ever seem to be eager to prove herself?"

Delgato shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. She did her job, and she did it perfectly. She covered me, offered protection, kept her mouth shut, followed every order of mine to the letter. She never once tried to outshine me. Apart from the moment when she did outshine me, because I wouldn't have been able to."

"You wouldn't have caught them on your own?"

"Chief, if Hopps hadn't taken the wolves down, they would be gone by now. She merely did what she had to do, because I was unable to do it."

"So no signs of hubris whatsoever."

"Rather the opposite, I'd say." He pointed at her report. "Or why do you think she presented me in a better light than I actually deserve?"

"Why indeed?" Bogo looked at her report.

Delgato took a deep breath. "Let me guess. She told you she'll file a harassment complaint against me tomorrow, right?"

Bogo raised an eyebrow. "No, she didn't. Like I said, she didn't mention you at all. She merely handed in her report, wished me a nice day, and that was it."

"She didn't?"

For a few seconds, Bogo merely stared at him. "What did you do to her?" he finally asked.

"What _didn't_ I do to her? I showed her these." He exposed his fangs for Bogo to see. "Almost freaked her out. I forced her to sit in our cruiser without any booster seat. She almost strangled herself with her seat belt. I was patronizing, I was menacing. I made her buy me lunch."

Now Bogo raised both eyebrows. "I would hardly call this harassment."

"When you are a bunny and the place you are told to get it from is 'preds only,' and when you are told to buy fish and crickets, I would."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. I also berated her for not waiting for backup after she had caught our drug traffickers."

"How did she react?"

Delgato shrugged. "Let me put it this way: The temperature in our cruiser was probably close to zero degrees Fahrenheit. In Sahara Square."

"So she was disrespectful?"

"No, at least not on the outside. Although I tend to think she feels little respect for me on the inside. I mean, would you show respect to someone who does nothing but haze you?"

"Did she contradict you? Show you a 'better-than-thou' attitude?"

"Definitely not. She only contradicted me twice. The second time was when I berated her after the arrests. And I must admit she had a point. I should have sung the praises, but all I did was reprimand her for taking matters into her own paws instead of reporting in and waiting for backup. But the first time …"

"The first time?"

"We were talking about Wilde. She told me she had been running with him this morning to prepare him for the physical part of his training."

"So Wilde is prepping himself."

"He is. Thought you'd be happy to hear it."

"Oh, I don't doubt Wilde's resolve for one second. Not after what he did."

"Well, I did. And she asked me, very harshly, I might add, never to question the integrity and trustworthiness of her friend again."

"Aha? Interesting." Bogo made a pause. "When she was here, she asked me a question."

"Which was?"

"Whether it was the norm at Precinct One for rookies to be hazed."

"What did you tell her?"

"I asked her what she meant, but she refused to elaborate, merely saying her good-byes and leaving."

Delgato thought about this, finally asking: "You think I overdid it?"

Bogo shrugged. "Probably. Maybe you should tone it down a bit. But on the whole, I think you did a good job. We both know that when you are a police officer, you are bound to face some really hard times. If you aren't prepared for that, you'll crack. I wouldn't want her to crack, because I think she can be an outstanding police officer."

"I agree."

"You do?"

"Oh yes, I definitely do. Everything she did today was straight out of a textbook. She made no mistakes whatsoever. There was none of the usual bumbling every rookie is condemned to do." He made a pause. "Probably the main reason why treating her like this was so hard. I should have lauded her, instead I belittled her from the get-go."

Bogo nodded and said casually: "Why don't you start by giving her a booster seat tomorrow at least? Wouldn't want her to be strangled on the job."

"Would look bad on my résumé, eh?" Delgato hesitated. "She'll probably just ask herself why I didn't tell her to get one today."

"Wouldn't you?"

"Oh, I definitely would." Delgato sighed. "I guess Hopps isn't likely to be willing to call me her friend in the foreseeable future."

"That remains to be seen. Maybe after all is said and done, you should explain your behavior to her."

"And that would achieve what? Maybe she'll forgive me, maybe she won't. Maybe she'll simply stop hating me and starts hating you instead. Do you want that?"

Bogo actually smiled at that. "You know, I don't really care whether I'm loved or hated. I know that a lot of guys in here don't like me all that much. But that's okay. As long as they show me respect, I don't care."

Delgato blurted out: "I do care."

"And that's probably your greatest weakness."

Without thinking, Delgato got up. "With all due respect, sir, I consider it a strength. I'd much rather be known for being compassionate than for being hated or feared."

Bogo nodded and said in a very soft voice: "You want me to reassign you?"

Delgato just stared at him, then he sat down again. "No, sir, I don't. I'll see this through to the very end. But I know that I'll hate every minute of it!"

* * *

 **Grand Pangolin Arms Apartment Building, Top Floor, Apartment 514, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

Inside the tiny apartment, the only light illuminating the room came from a smartphone's display, which showed a male bunny with an abnormally large gap between his buck teeth. The bunny sitting on the chair inside the room was in almost complete darkness otherwise.

Quite matching the darkness Judy Hopps felt towards a certain male lion.

But right now, she was even more annoyed by her own brother.

"Didn't you listen? It's as if he's trying his hardest to make me furious! As if he's expecting me to crack, doing something very stupid in the process, like hitting a superior officer." She made a pause and added in an almost whiny voice: "As if he wants to make me turn in my badge."

As if to infuriate her further, Billy Hopps merely smiled. " _I don't think so_."

"You don't?"

Billy made a pause, obviously a deliberate one, for all he did was examine the nails on his right paw. " _Did I ever tell you about my time at Zootopia General?_ " he finally said.

"Not that I recall."

" _Maybe I should have_."

"Why?"

" _Because then you wouldn't be down in the dumps right now. When I began my internship at Zoo G, it took the guys working at the labs less than three hours to thoroughly antagonize me and my buddy Leroy. You do remember Leroy, don't you?_ "

"I do."

" _Well, then you'll probably remember that he tends to be a bit gullible. One of the guys working at the lab asked for us to bring him some voltage drop_."

"Say again?"

" _You heard me. He wanted some voltage drop_."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

" _When your superior tells you to fetch something, do you really question him?_ "

"Er, no."

" _Exactly. Fortunately, I was quite busy at the moment, but I had seen through the scheme anyway, sort of. Leroy hadn't. So he ran from pillar to post to find someone who was able to give him voltage drop. Someone working at administration finally gave him a cardboard box full of broken computer equipment. Which was quite heavy, let me tell you. Imagine Leroy's face when the guy who'd given him the order merely told him to put the stuff into the dumpster_."

"So he was basically given a useless task."

" _He was. Listen, Judy. I know it's tough right now. But you still are a rookie. You still are the young hotshot. They don't know what you're capable of, they don't know if they can rely on you. And until they do, they'll put you to the test. And that includes being hazed. I know, I've been there myself. And after a few weeks, it suddenly stopped, and everybody started to treat me nicely. It was like a switch was flicked. Harassed one day, well respected the next_."

"Just like that?"

" _Just like that. Ask around! Ask those workmates who treat you nicely. They'll tell you similar stories_."

"You don't think they want to get rid of me?"

" _At this stage? Definitely not. Just think of the publicity: 'Hero Cop Forced to Retire After Being Harassed by Workmate.' They would be stupid to try and do anything like that. They put you to the test, but not to make you leave. All they wanna know is how good you are able to deal with pressure. Should you fail, you'll simply be given a task where you can cause no damage, and should you decide to leave at that point in time, a few years down the road, nobody will care. Right now, they wouldn't want you to leave. And if you do, if you crack now, they can merely say that is was your own decision, and that they have no idea why you made it, and that they're saddened by the loss_."

"What do you say? Persevere?"

" _Of course! Stay strong, Judy! Just weather the storm. It'll pass. I wouldn't be surprised if this lion of yours feels really horrible doing this to you_."

"You think so?"

" _If he isn't a certified asshole who enjoys causing other mammals pain and misery, and I don't think he is, he'll not like this very much_."

"You think he was given an order to do this?"

" _Yeah, that's a likely scenario. This Chief Bogo, he's one of those 'eats nails for breakfast and poops mortar shells' guys, right?_ "

Judy had to laugh at that. "That would be quite an apt description, I'd say."

" _So he runs your precinct with an iron hoof_."

"Oh, he has been gentle enough. But he can be as tough as they come."

" _Figured as much. He'll just want to know what stuff you're made out of. So having giving that lion an order sounds quite likely_."

"So what should I do tomorrow?"

" _Business as usual, Judy. You go to work, you do your duties to the best of your abilities, you endure the hazing. It'll pass. The next weeks may feel like they want to put you in a grinder, but if you persevere, if you stand your ground and just do what you're supposed to do, it'll pass. Believe me, a few months from now, this is all but an awful memory, and you'll enjoy working together with this lion_."

Judy sighed. "At this stage, I doubt it."

" _He'll probably doubt it, too. Listen, Judy, I have to close shop now. My first seminar tomorrow is at eight o'clock in the morning_."

Judy gave him a smile. "My alarm clock is set to 5 thirty."

" _That early? Why?_ "

"Because I want to go on a run before going to work."

" _Did Nick really join you today?_ "

"He did."

" _How is he?_ "

Judy grinned. "Slow. And he has no endurance he's aware of."

" _Say 'Hi' to him from me, will you?_ "

"Will do, Billy! Good night!"

" _Good night! Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite!_ "

With a smile, Judy ended the call and placed the smartphone on the table. She then bowed forward and banged her head softly against the tabletop.

"I am a real cop. I am a real cop. I am a real cop …"

* * *

 **Oh my! Two absolutely miserable mammals! So what'll happen next? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **Yes, the "claws" of rabbits are rather called nails. They're rather thin, therefore they're excellent for burrowing and scratching (and I have the scars to prove it), but completely unsuited for ripping and tearing.**

 **The voltage drop story actually is completely authentic. My mother once told me the story of how her father, my grandfather, who ran a china shop, treated his apprentices. By all accounts (I never got to know him personally, he died half a year after I was born), he was a fair boss and quite beloved by everybody, but he also was a prankster. He was well known for asking his apprentices to bring him some "Spannungsabfall" (voltage drop) from a nearby shop run by a friend of his. And this friend told his employees to simply collect all the rubbish they could find and put it into a cardboard box. So the apprentice was returning with the (invariably very heavy) box to the china shop, only to be told by my grandfather to throw the stuff out immediately.**

 **Not very nice when you are on the receiving end of the prank, but hilarious when just being told.**

 **You wanna have a laugh at my expense? How about this:**

 **When I was a rookie at the Bundeswehr, one of my superiors gave me the order of getting him some "Gewehrreinigungspatronen" (rifle cleaning shells). Of course there is no such thing, and deep down inside I knew this, but do you really question the orders of your Sergeant when you are but an Airman? I didn't, so I wasted one complete afternoon running around like an imbecile, desperately trying to find some, asking the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker where I could find the elusive rifle cleaning shells.**

 **Yeah, I'm quite the doofus, I know!**

 **The "Motormouth" line, Delgato's ability to imitate sound using his voice, is a nod to all the beatboxers and noise imitators out there, particularly to Michael Winslow, the "Man of 10,000 sound effects," who played Larvell "Motormouth" Jones in the Police Academy movies (if you're interested, you should watch his Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix impersonations on YouTube), and to a British guy named Darren Foreman, commonly called Beardyman, who, in my humble opinion, is the best beatboxer in the world. The stuff he can do using only his voice is absolutely astonishing! Check him out on YouTube and prepare to be thoroughly amazed!**

 **I actually didn't actively try and hide a quote this time, seeing that there still are so many to be found. If you come across a quote, its addition to this chapter has most likely been an accident.**

 **Thanks a lot for following this story! And please, send me your reviews!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	19. Chapter Nineteen - The Gauntlet III

**Before I start with the usual stuff, there's a certain topic I feel obliged to mention, because it came up in several reviews. (I'm particularly looking at GuestGuy here. Man, I'd love to answer you in person!)**

 **I've said it before, but I'm doing it again, just to make it abundantly clear:**

 **Just because I write about something doesn't necessarily mean I agree with it.**

 **If I did, it would make me a dangerous lunatic who enjoys murder, violence, theft, and all-out anarchy and mayhem - in short, a guy who should be locked away for good.**

 **I write about hazing and harassment. So you think I condone it?**

 **Just so you know, I was hazed, harassed, beaten up, and bullied for most of my childhood. That is, for example, the reason why I, at just 41 years of age, lost all my teeth and need to rely on artificial teeth today - I lost at least ten teeth due to being beaten up as a child (one knee to my chin saw to that), and the sorry remainder didn't like being capped all that much.**

 **Yes, I have choppers! I'm 45 years old, and I have choppers, just like the oldest geezer!**

 **At one point, the hazing became so bad that I seriously contemplated suicide! And I really am dead serious about it! Just as dead as I would have been!**

 **To wrap it up, and to settle any doubts:**

 **I absolutely abhor harassment in all its manifestations! If I had my way, every bully would be arrested and locked away for a very long time! Preferably for good! Harassment can never be anything else than just wrong! There is no justification for harassment! There is no reason for hazing! It is just despicable, and so is everybody reveling in it!**

 **And I'm not willing to discuss this attitude of mine!**

 **Period! Just that, and nothing else!**

 **Period!**

 **This attitude of mine is exactly why I am writing about it here.**

 **May sound like a contradiction, but when I'm done with this angle, you'll know what I mean. The story itself will explain most of it. Come to think of it, this very chapter will deliver the first part of the explanation. And the remainder that needs explaining, I'll explain to you when I'm done with this particular story arc.**

 **Until then, I want to ask you to refrain from insinuating that I might be okay with bullying. Because I'm not, not even remotely! And as you can probably tell from my choice of words, I tend to feel quite insulted, should anyone think otherwise and tell everyone about it!**

 **So yes, GuestGuy, I'm expecting an apology! (Edit: I'm still waiting, you know …)**

 **Sorry for the abrupt change in tone, but I needed to get that one off my chest, badly! (It will come as no real surprise to you that I was quite pissed off when I read the comments suggesting that I might be okay with harassment.)**

 **Calm down, Jens! Take a deep breath! Everything will be fine!**

 **Okay, better now!**

 **I have the feeling these author's notes are going to be longer than the chapter itself!**

 **All the more reason to finally get to it!**

* * *

 **Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Welcome to the next installment of "Wound!"**

 **A really quick update this time! Well, what can I say in my defense? I had some time to spare and just felt like writing. Hope you don't hold it against me! ;-)**

 **The stats so far look like this: Almost 23,100 views, 216 reviews, 110 favorites, and 154 alerts. Thanks for your ceaseless support!**

 **As you can see, I received an astonishingly big number of reviews for the last chapter - I was close to losing track of things! Me and my big mouth! Why, oh why did I give the darn promise to answer every piece of mail I receive?**

 **Don't worry, just kidding! I was having a ball! Keep 'em coming!**

 **Virtual hugs go out to Matri, Harak, Combat Engineer, Irual, Crouto (Although you also suggested that I might be okay with bullying, the ensuing discussion of the finer points of the story, after we had cleared the air, was a blast! Thanks for that!), GhostWolf88, Lone-Wonderer, greengarments, Foxlover91, GuestGuy (hmm, maybe not at this particular moment), Story. Writer. 2015, niraD, Mogor, poynton90, Dirtkid123, Robert Escher, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, DrummerMax64, peacebringer89, and honeysucklecupcakes for reviewing the last chapter!**

 **So I actually hid two quotes in my last chapter! Sue me!**

 **Seriously though, I was alerted to the fact that there were two quotes I had used without being aware of it.**

 **The first one was pointed out to me both by greengarments and niraD. The line said by Judy, "over the hills and far away," of course refers to the song of the same name by Led Zeppelin. The fun thing is, I only realized I had used it after having published the chapter, when re-reading it later. Back when I wrote it, I was merely looking for the best translation for the German figure-of-speech "über alle Berge sein." My online dictionary gave "over the hills and far away" as a viable translation. I liked it, so I used it. I really have no idea why I didn't realize the connection right away, seeing that I'm a big fan of Led Zeppelin!**

 **Like I said in the last chapter: Yeah, I'm quite the doofus, I know!**

 **The second quote I hid inadvertently was the "Good night! Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite!" line said by Billy. Harak and Robert Escher pointed it out to me, but both gave different sources - Harak said it was used in the movie "The Lion King" (I can't verify this, as I've never seen the movie in English, only in German), whereas Esch told me that his grandma used to wish him a good night using those words. Which would be fitting, since as far as I know, the line actually is the first verse of a nursery rhyme:**

 **"** **Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. Wake up bright in the morning light to do what's right with all your might."**

 **I also came across a quite different version:**

 **"** **Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. If they do, take your shoe and knock them till they're black and blue!"**

 **I don't know about you, but I like the second version better! ;-)**

 **But even that wasn't my source!**

 **There's one "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip, where Calvin's mother tells him to "sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite!" before leaving his room. Of course, Calvin completely misinterprets it and starts thinking that she was referring to the monsters drooling under his bed. What happens next is hilarity personified! All I can say is: Raid! (No, that wasn't an ad!)**

 **And again, I only realized what I had done after I had published the chapter!**

 **Therefore, kudos to greengarments, niraD, Harak, and Robert Escher for being more clever than me!**

 **Er, and what about the other quotes that need finding? Funny that nobody discovered them so far …**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

 **The Gauntlet III**

 _The dream that you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower._

Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams: "This Will Be The Day" (Written by Jeff Williams, from the album "RWBY Volume 1 Soundtrack," Rooster Teeth Productions, 2013)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Briefing Room A aka "Bullpen," City Center, Zootopia**

"All other assignments remain the same. Dismissed!"

It took Frederick Delgato some effort to get to his paws. His night had offered him little in terms of relaxing sleep. For some reason, whenever he had closed his eyes, the image of a raving mad Hopps had popped up inside his head. At one point, she had even been armed with a switchblade. When his alarm clock had finally disrupted his fitful slumber, he had felt as if he hadn't slept at all.

And judging by the way Hopps looked, her night hadn't been any better. There was something distinctly disheveled about her looks. Her uniform was immaculate, of course, yet it looked strangely unkempt, and her fur looked as if it hadn't seen a brush in weeks. Her face was impassive and her voice void of any emotions as she saluted him. "Good morning, Sergeant, sir!"

"Good morning, Hopps." He made a pause. "Ready to make the world a better place?" It was a blatantly obvious attempt at being less harsh to her, but after having had less than two hours of sleep, his mind wasn't providing him with any great ideas for how to treat Hopps properly.

Hopps narrowed her eyes, but said nothing, merely stepping aside to let him walk past her. As he did, Delgato suppressed a sigh.

 _That doesn't bode well!_

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Parking Lot, Patrol Vehicle A113, City Center, Zootopia**

Delgato was already sitting inside their cruiser when Hopps climbed in. She hesitated for a brief moment when she saw the booster seat he had placed on the passenger seat before he had left for home the day before. But again, she said nothing as she sat down, not even looking at him. As she fastened her seat belt (with significantly less difficulty this time), Delgato told Clawhauser that they were about to assume their patrol duty.

" _Oh, and Judy?_ "

Hopps smiled, although it looked a bit forced. "Yes, Ben?"

" _Are you interested in some quality entertainment?_ "

"What's that supposed to mean?"

" _Every Tuesday evening, me and some guys from work usually go to The Watering Hole for a drink or two. You wanna join us?_ "

Hoops seemed to ponder on this a bit. "Sure, why not? The Watering Hole, you said?"

" _Yep. It's a bar in Savanna Central. Freddie can tell you where to find it_."

Hopps looked up at Delgato, who shrugged. "We'll pass the place on our way to Sahara Square. I'll point it out to you."

Hopps looked at him for a second, then she nodded. "Much appreciated, sir."

" _Great!_ " Clawhauser said. " _Tonight at seven?_ "

"I'll be there."

" _Excellent. Clawhauser out!_ "

As Delgato turned on the engine, he thought about Clawhauser's invitation.

 _Why didn't he tell Hopps that I am one of the "guys from work" going there?_

 _And why didn't_ I _tell her?_

* * *

 **Patrol Vehicle A113, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

To Delgato's surprise, the patrol didn't turn out to be half as bad as he had feared.

Sure, Hopps didn't exactly treat him in a friendly manner, but at least she didn't subject him to open hostility.

If there was one word to describe her behavior, it would have been "indifferent."

She didn't reply to his feeble attempts at making small talk, she ignored his comments on the weather (blisteringly hot, of course, seeing that they were in Sahara Square), his pointless banter passed her by completely unnoticed.

He truly felt like doing the patrol all on his own.

Hadn't it been for her hyper-vigilant observation of their surroundings, he would have called her presence completely pointless.

It was Hopps who'd alerted him to the fact that a tiny tiger cub was standing all on his own on the pavement, bawling his little eyes out, obviously having lost sight of his parents. It was her who'd pointed out the illegal gambling going on in broad daylight. She spotted the three parking offenders. She saw the signs of domestic violence when they were passing a rather empty neighborhood.

And yet again, her every approach to all those situations could have served as an example in any of the Academy's textbooks.

She had given him no reason to treat her harshly, because everything she did was as correct as you can possibly make it.

But apart from all her faultless behavior, the number of words Hopps said to him of her own volition was still negligible.

It was slowly threatening to become almost painfully boring. And being as tired as he was wasn't helping either.

During their lunch break (he had bought his own food this time, and Hopps had opted to buy herself a smoothie - judging by the smell of it, it consisted of apples and carrots, with a bit of basil and parsley thrown into the mix), he looked at Hopps.

"Bogo told me you didn't write in your report that it was you who caught the wolves yesterday."

Hopps looked at him. "So?" Her voice was completely passive.

"Why didn't you do it?"

"You mean apart from the fact that I was taught at the Academy that all those details aren't exactly necessary and even considered to be decidedly uncomradely, sir?"

Yet again, she was perfectly right.

Bogo's usual attitude towards arrests like the ones they did the day before was that he didn't care who caught the perpetrators, as long as they were caught. Especially if you had been the one to achieve it, mentioning it in your report was regarded as bragging and therefore frowned upon. Bogo was well-known for saying that "arrests are made by individual mammals, but the perps are brought in by the team." The team received the applause, not the individual officer. Going against that guideline was generally considered to be in very bad taste.

Delgato nodded. "If they told you that at the Academy, then why was the rest of your report that detailed? According to Bogo, you even gave the culprits' respective eye colors. But you didn't mention that _you_ caught them and not me. Why?"

Hopps huffed. "You fully expect me to tell the Chief that I went against my own superior's orders, sir? That I acted on my own accord, ignoring your opinion on the matter in the process, sir?"

Delgato leant back in his seat, thinking.

He hadn't thought about it from this angle.

Hopps continued: "Your words suggest that you told the Chief that I did. Why, sir?" She made a pause. "To stress the point that I did it against your orders, sir?"

Delgato couldn't help flinching.

 _Damn! How do I get out of this one?_

Hopps turned her head away, looking out of the front windshield instead. "What did the Chief say, if I may ask, sir?"

"I didn't tell him because you went against my orders!" he blurted out, then he froze.

 _Why did I just tell her this?_

Hopps looked at him again. "You didn't?"

Delgato pulled himself together. "I hadn't even given you an order. There was no time."

"Then why did you tell him, sir?" Hopps's voice was soft.

Delgato sighed, and now it was him who looked away and through the windshield. "Let's just say Bogo approved of your actions."

 _Damn it! I'm supposed to treat her harshly, not commend her!_

 _This is slipping away from me!_

"I see," Hopps simply said.

The silence that followed was almost deafening.

* * *

 **"** **The Watering Hole" Bar, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

The remainder of their patrol had been mercifully uneventful. Sure, they had had several incidents to deal with, but nothing out of the ordinary (two more parking violations, a dispute between a shop owner and his customer, one small-time pickpocket). And since Hopps had continued to perform admirably, she had given Delgato no reason to harangue her any further.

Her demeanor towards him hadn't changed though. She had still treated him with casual indifference.

And the longer the patrol had taken, the harder that one had become to bear.

Now, ten minutes to seven, he was approaching the counter inside The Watering Hole, where Reginald Pocock was greeting him with a grin. Most of his workmates had arrived already - since Bogo put so much emphasis on punctuality, arriving anywhere way ahead of time was deeply ingrained in every officer working at Precinct One -, and they were all sitting at a long table in the back of the bar. There were only a few mammals missing, with Hopps being one of them.

And a tiny part of him hoped it would stay that way.

"Howdy, Freddie! How's things?" Pocock raised his paw.

Delgato gave him a paw bump. "Fine."

"Really? You don't look fine to me. What's eating you?"

Delgato decided to ignore the question. "I see that business is booming," he said as he was looking around. Every table his gaze fell on was occupied - some mammals were even standing around in obvious want of something to sit on.

The tiger chuckled. "Great, isn't it? Ever since Bellwether was put behind bars, business has been nothing but spectacular! It's as if everyone wants to make up for not having been able to celebrate for months. By the way, the usual?"

"No, just a beer, thank you."

"No scotch?"

"Not today."

"You're the boss!" As Pocock began pulling his beer, he said: "Seriously though, what's wrong? You look like you haven't slept at all."

Delgato sighed. "I haven't had much sleep, yes."

"Why?"

Delgato hesitated. Assignments weren't exactly a secret, since everybody with working eyes was able to see who was working with whom, but the finer details were, of course, not subject to public debate. "Bogo made me team up with Hopps this week."

"The bunny? Oh dear! Don't tell me, she's given you the 'better-than-thou' attitude, right?"

Delgato blinked. "What? No, no, she didn't."

"Not? Then what's the problem?"

"There is no problem. It's just that …" Delgato hesitated again, then he shrugged. "Let's just say that working together with her isn't exactly what I've been expecting."

Pocock chuckled. "Are you trying to tell me a tiny bunny is giving the mighty lion a hard time?"

"Of course not!" Before he was able to stop himself, he added: "If anything, I'm giving her a hard time."

Pocock turned towards him so fast that he almost spilled the beer he had been pulling. "You do WHAT?"

Delgato cursed himself under his breath.

Pocock continued: "Are you harassing her? Making her do all the dirty work, while you chillax?"

Delgato stared at the tiger in astonishment.

He had known Pocock for almost ten years. They called each other friends.

Yet he had never seen him so livid.

"This is disgusting! Shame on you! Never thought you, of all mammals, would do anything like that!" Without any further comment, Pocock placed the beer in front of Delgato and turned away, effectively ending their conversation.

Delgato sighed.

 _That had gone … well!_

He took the glass and walked over to the table where his workmates were sitting, most of whom had already spotted him arriving.

And they had obviously followed his dispute with Pocock, too. ""Hiya, Freddie, what's up?" Markus Grizzoli asked. "What's wrong with Reg?"

"You need to ask him," Delgato said as he was sitting down on one of the unoccupied chairs.

"I've rarely seen him so mad," James Fangmeyer said. "And we grew up together."

"You did?" Francine Pennington asked.

"Of course! He's my cousin."

"You never told me."

"Does it matter that our mothers are sisters?"

"Uh, not really."

Adimar Mastiff gave a chuckle. "Sometimes I have the feeling of being related to half of Zootopia."

"I don't think so," Alan Trunkaby said with a grin. "Or are you somehow related to elephants or zebras?"

Mastiff shrugged. "You never know." He touched his muzzle as if wanting to check whether it had somehow turned into a trunk. That elicited a small laughter from all mammals around.

Pennington turned towards Delgato. "And now that Bogo's definitely out of earshot, you can finally tell me what's wrong with Hopps."

Benjamin Clawhauser made a frown. "Why? What's wrong with Judy?"

"That's what I want to know from him." Pennington pointed at Delgato. "Yesterday she looked like she was on a warpath, today she looked like she'd been sleeping under a bridge." She looked at Delgato again. "And I can't help thinking that you might be involved in the 'Why.'"

Delgato shook his head. "I told you before, that's between Hopps and me, Francine."

"And I told _you_ before that this is bullshit!"

Both stared at each other, with Delgato trying his utmost to not be the first one to break the gaze. It was only after Mastiff cleared his throat that he dared to look away. "Let me guess, Freddie," the wolf said calmly, "you had a one-to-one with Bogo, right?"

Delgato looked at Mastiff. "I had."

Mastiff's voice remained calm as he stated: "Thought so."

"Wait a minute!" Clawhauser said, staring at Delgato. "Are you telling me that … that Bogo told you to bully Judy?"

Delgato stared at him. _How on earth did Ben figure out that one?_

"He did?" Grizzoli asked.

"That's the only possible explanation I can think of!" Clawhauser said, his tone becoming more agitated by the second. "He talks to Freddie, Freddie teams up with Hopps, she's absolutely furious afterwards." He looked at Mastiff, who nodded. "See? Uncle Massie agrees with me!"

"I do," Mastiff said gravely.

Pennington leaned forward, coming dangerously close to Delgato. "Is this true? Did Bogo really tell you to bully Judy?"

Delgato shrugged. _Might as well admit to it, if everybody knows it anyway._ "He might have."

"And you did it?" Pennington asked.

"I might have."

"What did you do?" Fangmeyer asked. "Showed her yours?" He opened his mouth to point at his impressive, gleaming white fangs.

With a start, Delgato realized that the atmosphere around the table had suddenly turned quite hostile.

And all the hostility seemed to be directed at him.

It was as if the temperature around the table had dropped by several degrees.

And suddenly, something inside his head just snapped.

"What should I have done, eh?" he shouted in such a loud voice that every mammal in the vicinity began to stare at him. "She got the Medal of Honor, and she's just an Officer! She hasn't even proven her mettle! She …"

"Are you shitting me?" Pennington seemed to be beside herself. "Hopps risked her life to solve the Savage Mammals case! She deserved that medal! You said so yourself! Would you have done the same thing? If you were as small as she is, would you have walked into the thick of things, knowing how bad the situation was, knowing that it might kill you?" She champed with obvious rage. "Not proven her mettle, my ass!"

Clawhauser seemed to be just as furious. "She was top of her class! Have you been? No! You haven't even been good enough to be assigned to Precinct One!"

Delgato snarled. "Yes, but I finally made it there because I busted my ass off at Precinct Five for almost seven years!"

"And you think Hopps didn't bust hers off during training?" Pennington shouted. "You think that just because she's but a rookie, just because she's a bunny, that she automatically has to prove her mettle over and over …"

"Alright, that's enough!" Mastiff suddenly shouted. "Calm down, everybody!" His tone was friendly, but his features were stern. Everyone fell silent.

Delgato looked at him, and for a few seconds he was quite torn between wanting to thank him for intervening or wanting to run away from him before he would rip his head off.

Contrary to Pennington and Clawhauser, Mastiff looked supremely calm. His tone was also calm, almost casual. "So Bogo asked you to harass Hopps. Did he give a reason?"

Not for the first time, Delgato asked himself how Mastiff managed to radiate anger without letting it show in any way, shape, or form.

 _Why am I suddenly feeling like sitting in an interrogation room, on the wrong side of the table?_

"Yes. He said that because Hopps had been awarded the Medal of Honor, she might be under the impression of being better than anyone else."

"Did he tell you why he thinks so?"

"She did something similar when joining Precinct One. On her very first day, she walked up to Bogo, stressing the fact that she was valedictorian of her class."

"That's only because …" Pennington began to shout.

"Francine, please!" Mastiff's tone suddenly became commanding. Pennington fell silent. With his voice calm again, Mastiff continued: "I assume she was assigned parking duty that day, right?"

"She was."

"Have you ever been assigned parking duty?"

"Of course I have."

"Did you like it?"

"Is that some sort of trick question? Parking duty's the worst!"

"And it never occurred to you, or Bogo for that matter, that Hopps might only have stressed the point that she had been valedictorian of her class to avoid parking duty?"

Delgato had no idea what to say. The thought had really never occurred to him. When he didn't reply, Mastiff continued: "Does she appear to be overly eager to prove herself? Does she seem to be full of herself? Does she display any sort of 'I-am-superior-to-you-anyway' attitude?"

Again, Delgato didn't find the words to reply, so Mastiff merely stated: "So that would be a No. Did you enjoy it?"

Delgato's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Did you enjoy making Hopps's life a living hell? Did you enjoy subjecting her to harassment?"

"No!" Delgato shouted. "I hated it!"

"And yet you did it. Why?"

 _Such a simple question!_

 _And no answer!_

Suddenly Trunkaby, who had been keeping a close eye on the entrance, said hastily: "Watch it! She just arrived!"

"Thanks, Alan." Mastiff still looked at Delgato, narrowing his remaining eye. "It's about time you start thinking with both your heart _and_ your brain. Stop relying exclusively on what other mammals tell you! You should rather start relying on your own instincts! Start using that gray matter of yours yourself, or other mammals will use it for you! Start listening with your heart _and_ your ears!"

Delgato couldn't help feeling like he'd just been slapped in the face.

These few short sentences, said in the calmest of voices, had felt more incisive than the harshest reprimand.

He was still looking at Mastiff, who merely returned the stare, when he heard Clawhauser shout: "Judy! Over here!" On that, Mastiff broke eye contact and looked in the general direction Clawhauser was indicating. Delgato did the same and spotted Hopps immediately. She was still standing near the entrance, her head swiveling around in search of the mammal who had shouted her name. She looked absolutely tiny among all the other mammals, and since that was the case, she had obvious difficulties spotting Clawhauser. It was only after the cheetah had begun waving enthusiastically that she was able to see him. She started walking towards the table.

Then her eyes fell on Delgato.

But only for one second. She tore her gaze away from him immediately. At the same time, her step slowed down significantly.

Yet she finally reached the table. "Good evening!" she said with a voice that sounded almost strained. She looked at one of the chairs which was far too big for her.

"Judy! How nice of you to stop by!" Pennington said merrily. Without further ado, she lowered her trunk and grabbed Hopps with it. The bunny gave a tiny "Yeep!" as she felt herself being lifted up and placed on the chair in a manner that looked surprisingly gentle. "You wanna have something to drink?" Pennington asked.

"I'll go," Fangmeyer said immediately, standing up. "My glass is empty anyway. What do you want, Judy?"

"Er, I can go myself," Hopps said timidly.

"Nonsense!" Fangmeyer said. "Just pick your poison!" When he saw Hopps lunge for her wallet, he added: "And don't bother paying for every glass. Reg is keeping tabs."

"Uh, if you'd be so kind, I'd like to have one small apple cider."

"One bunny-sized apple cider, coming right up!" Fangmeyer left the table.

"You're late!" Clawhauser said, but their was no accusation in his voice. If anything, he sounded merry.

"Yes, sorry about that, but I was making a phone call, and I'm afraid I lost track of the time a bit."

"No need to be sorry, Hopps," Mastiff said genially. "It's not like this is a life-threatening situation here."

"Unless you drink yourself to death," Grizzoli added, and everybody started laughing, with two exceptions: Hopps, who obviously wasn't feeling entirely comfortable in the presence of her superior officers, and Delgato, who had rarely felt less cheerful than he did right now.

"If you say so, Major, sir," Hopps said, looking at Mastiff.

The wolf looked down at his lumberjack shirt. "Do you see any rank insignia here, Hopps?"

"Er, no."

"That's right, no. There's no rank order here at all. We're all off duty. So relax, Hopps! No need to call me Major here, and certainly no need to 'sir' me."

"Erm, how should I call you?"

"You know, that is a really good question," Trunkaby said. He turned towards Pennington. "What did this fox, er, Wilde was his name, wasn't it? How did he call him?"

Pennington chuckled. "The one-eyed Major."

"Damn it! Won't work! We have the rank again."

"What a shame!" Mastiff grinned. "I guess we have to go with Adimar for the moment."

"Adimar?" Hopps asked.

"Yes. My first name. It's Gnugandan in origin. My ancestors were from Gnuganda."

"They were?" Clawhauser asked. "I didn't know! Mine were too! My great-great-grandfather was named Benjamin Richard Krallenhauser. He was the one who immigrated here. I'm named after him."

"Really? Interesting. It's a small world indeed."

"Indeed. Are you named after someone, too?"

"I am, but I have to go back a few more generations. Back when my family was still living in Gnuganda, one of the family's patriarchs was named Adimar. That was centuries ago, and to the best of my knowledge, the name isn't used in Gnuganda anymore."

"Do you know what it means?"

Mastiff grinned again. "I have no idea!" He looked at Hopps. "Your name's Judy?"

Hopps nodded. "Judith actually, but everybody calls me Judy. Everybody except Nick Wilde, that is. He calls me Carrots or Fluff."

"He does?" Trunkaby asked. "And you're okay with that?"

Pennington chuckled. "He calls me Trunks. I guess it's just the way he rolls."

Hopps shrugged. "I don't know, but when Nick says it, it somehow sounds okay."

"But you wouldn't like it very much if I would do it, right?" Grizzoli asked.

"Definitely not!"

"Okay, then you won't hear me do it."

During the last sentences, Fangmeyer had returned to the table, holding two glasses, a tall one and one so tiny that it almost vanished in his massive paw. "You were talking about Wilde? He sounds like an interesting mammal. Here you go, Judy!" He placed the tiny glass in front of Judy.

She took the glass immediately. In her paws, it turned into a rather tall drink. "Thank you very much, James!"

"What can I say except you're welcome? So Wilde will really join us?"

Hopps took a sip and set the glass down again. "He will. He's working very hard for it."

"I'm sure Bogo will like to hear about this," Mastiff said.

"He knows. I told him," Delgato said automatically.

And one second later he wished he hadn't.

Everybody turned their heads to stare at him.

And the looks he received weren't all that friendly.

"You and Bogo were talking about Wilde?" Mastiff asked, his voice still almost eerily calm.

Delgato pulled himself together. "Yes, after Hopps had told me that she'd gone on a run with him to prepare him for his time at the ZPA."

"Ah," Mastiff said simply.

And then he turned towards Hopps. "Let me guess, there still is a lot of work that needs to be done before he gets there, Judy."

"You could say that, A… Adimar."

"Is he that slow?"

"Oh, his speed's okay, for a fox, that is."

"But no match for a bunny, eh?" Clawhauser said with a chuckle.

Hopps smiled at that. "Let me put it this way: I had to slow down quite a bit to match his speed." Everybody laughed at that. This time, even Hopps herself joined in.

The only mammal that didn't was Delgato.

All of a sudden, he felt quite alone at a table full of friends.

And he couldn't help feeling that the respective friendships were under serious threat.

* * *

 **And that's how easily tables can turn!**

 **I've already explained this in "Hammer," but in case you haven't read that story, I'll explain it again: I actually do know what the name Adimar means. It really is German in origin, a very old form of it. Which means I had to look it up, since I had never heard the name before - nobody uses it anymore nowadays. It translates to "famous for his kindness." And just so you know, the name wasn't even my idea. Galaxyexplorer74 suggested it to me. Thanks yet again for that!**

 **And "Kralle" is the German word for claw, hence "Krallenhauser."**

 **I decided to make both Mastiff and Clawhauser descendants of immigrants, because of the fact I alluded to in the author's notes of Chapter Thirteen: I just like the idea of Zootopia being the melting pot of immigrants from numerous different countries, much like the U.S. of A. is. And since the name "Adimar" is German in origin, and since "Hauser" is a perfectly normal last name in Germany, of course both had to originate from my version of Germany, Gnuganda. And the fact that I am German myself had some bearing in this matter, too. ;-)**

 **There's just one quote hidden in this chapter, and that's all the help you'll get from me. After the last chapter, I'm confident someone will find it with ease anyway. And if you come across more quotes I added unintentionally, just name them, and you'll receive your honorific mention in the next chapter!**

 **That's it for the moment! Thanks for reading this latest concoction, brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Spider… er, no, wrong movie! Your friendly neighborhood Catweazle!**

 **And don't forget to subscr… er, no, wrong again! This isn't YouTube, you dolt!**

 **Don't forget to send me your reviews and comments. In droves!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	20. Chapter Twenty - The Gauntlet IV

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **And yet another dialogue-heavy chapter awaits you! I don't know why, but to me, they are much easier to write than action-filled chapters. Maybe it's because I, myself, tend to suffer from verbal incontinence. ;-)**

 **This is one of those darn chapters that I had to scrap when it was almost complete, because I had written myself into quite the fix, and the only way to solve it was to rewrite it again from scratch. Twice the work, half the fun. Oh well …**

 **These are the stats so far: Almost 24,800 views, 235 reviews, 114 favorites, and 161 alerts. I cannot thank you enough for following my weird effusions!**

 **And these dedicated mammals honored me by sending their reviews: Combat Engineer, honeysucklecupcakes, poynton90, GhostWolf88, niraD, Dirtkid123, Story. Writer. 2015, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, PrincessRainbowSparkles, DrummerMax64, Foxlover91, Melior, HawkTooth, carick of hunter moon, LupinTheWolf, and rickiZ1. Thank you very much!**

 **I probably should have taken a different, more difficult quote for you to find the last time around - this one obviously was just way too easy! GhostWolf88 and niraD found it less than one hour (!) after I had published the chapter. (I don't really know who was quicker; niraD's PM arrived first, but according to the data, GhostWolf's PM was sent earlier - no idea why this happened!) And they weren't the only one, not by a long shot: Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, PrincessRainbowSparkles, DrummerMax64, Foxlover91, and HawkTooth also found the quote. It was, of course, the line "What can I say except you're welcome?" sung by Maui (voiced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) in the movie "Moana." (Interestingly enough, nobody has commented on the fact that the catchphrases Arctic Fire uses in Chapter Thirteen were taken straight out of "The Rock's Book of Catchphrases." Not many fans of professional wrestling around here, I guess …)**

 **There still are several quotes in this story that nobody has found so far, those being:**

 **1\. In Chapter Fourteen, I hid a quote from the computer game "Tomb Raider: Legend" by Eidos Interactive. It's completely unaltered, so finding it should be a cakewalk.**

 **2\. Also in Chapter Fourteen, there was a line I found in Rob Reiner's movie "A Few Good Men." This one's slightly altered (or rather "fursonified"), but finding it shouldn't be all that hard.**

 **3\. There also was a reference to the TV series "Magnum p.i." in Chapter Fifteen. This one's so obvious, I can't believe nobody came across it so far!**

 **4\. Finally, in Chapter Seventeen, I hid a quote from one of the "Harry Potter" movies." It's quite short, but still should be easy enough to find.**

 **Guys! What's the deal? Now go, re-read the chapters and find those pesky quotes!**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty

 **The Gauntlet IV**

 _In time your heart will open minds._

Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams: "This Will Be The Day" (Written by Jeff Williams, from the album "RWBY Volume 1 Soundtrack," Rooster Teeth Productions, 2013)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

When Adrian Bogo entered the building, he was in a very fine mood. He had spent the evening in front of his TV set, watching the Zootopia Zingers as they were giving the Green Bray Packers a very thorough thrashing. After a fine night's sleep, he had decided to forgo travelling to Precinct One by car and had walked over there instead, because the weather was absolutely perfect, with no cloud marring the sky, and a light breeze bringing cooling on what promised to be a very hot day. He was actually whistling a happy tune as he walked through the revolving doors.

And then his eyes spotted Clawhauser standing at his accustomed place behind the counter.

And the tune died on his lips.

Benjamin Clawhauser, ZPDs very own nice guy, the most friendly, optimistic mammal you could possibly think of, was giving him the stink eye.

For a fleeting second, this complete change of behavior, something he had almost never seen before, irritated Bogo, but then he decided that the cheetah's obvious ire wasn't directed at him. _Couldn't_ be directed at him. Not at the Chief of Police, somebody Clawhauser adored.

"Morning, Clawhauser," he said.

"Chief." The reply was more of a snarl.

Bogo paused. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm not the right mammal to tell you, sir," Clawhauser replied quite stiffly. "Uncle Massie wants to have a word with you."

Bogo made a frown. It was highly unusual for Clawhauser to call mammals by their nicknames when talking about official matters. "You mean Major Mastiff," he said in a tone that was slightly reprimanding.

"Yes, that's the one."

Now Bogo was completely flummoxed. "What's wrong, Clawhauser?"

"Like I said, he wants to have a word with you."

"Did he give a reason?"

"He'll tell you himself."

Bogo inwardly shrugged. It was very obvious that something was bothering Clawhauser. He had rarely seen him that angry, and he had certainly never heard him be that tight-lipped - as a rule, he was rather talking too much than too little. Bogo could have tried to pry it out of him, but it probably wasn't anything important, and at the current state of things, it might even antagonize Clawhauser further. And that was something he certainly didn't want to happen, especially not after Clawhauser's forced reassignment. "Did anything else happen tonight?"

Instead of answering, Clawhauser took a small stack of papers lying next to him and dropped it on the counter. He the proceeded to turn back to the female antelope he had been talking to when Bogo arrived, paying Bogo no further heed whatsoever.

 _What the hell is going on around here?_

Shaking his head, Bogo took the files and walked over to the set of stairs leading to his office.

Where Adimar Mastiff was already waiting for him. In civilian clothing. Which wasn't all that unusual. Most officers working at Homicide Squad wore civilian clothing, even during their duty hours - appearing in full uniform at the scene of a most gruesome murder often had the nasty side-effect of unnerving a lot of witnesses, who became much more talkative when the investigating officers were clad in civilian garb. The only thing that was strange was that Mastiff preferred to wear his uniform when he was at Precinct One.

"Morning, Adimar," Bogo said.

"Good morning, Adrian," Mastiff said with a smile. "I need to have a word with you."

Bogo made a frown. The tone in which Mastiff had said this was just his usual, calm, friendly self. His choice of words, however, was highly peculiar. "You do know that I come here this early to have a look at the case files from the night shift, do you?"

Mastiff's smile dropped. "That wasn't a request, Adrian." When Bogo merely stared at him, he added: "It was a demand."

Bogo became stern. "I don't think you get to make demands, Major Mastiff," he said automatically, then he hesitated. Up to that point, he had never had to reprimand Mastiff for ignoring the order of rank. Usually it was Bogo who acted as if Mastiff was the Chief and not the wolf himself. "Seriously, what's wrong, Adimar? First Clawhauser treats me like I'm a rapist, now you talk to me as if you're my superior."

Mastiff narrowed his eye. "I am one of the longest-serving officers at Precinct One, and it is my duty to inform my superior if I'm under the impression that he is making a grave mistake."

And Mastiff certainly never rubbed rules and regulations under anyone's noses, rather relying on the fact that said rules were known but everyone involved. "You speak in riddles."

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, right?"

"You're damn right."

"All the more reason why you should listen to what I have to say to you."

Bogo sighed while opening the door to his office. "All right. You know I can never say No to you."

"I know, and that's the only reason I'm this calm right now."

Bogo stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm quite angry, and all that anger is directed at you."

These words definitely gave Bogo pause.

Adimar Mastiff was one of the most calm officers he had ever seen. He had faced incredibly dangerous situations, he had been tasked with cases that other officers had become desperate over, he had worked under the most strenuous circumstances. And he had always managed to keep his cool. It was only when things really got out of paw, only when it was really necessary, that Mastiff didn't strive for calmness anymore.

And when he didn't, it was always a source of worry.

Because it always meant there was a huge problem to deal with.

"Alright, come in!" Bogo walked into his office, placed the case files on his desk and motioned for Mastiff to sit down on the other chair while sitting down himself.

Mastiff closed the door, and he even proceeded to lock it. "I need to talk to you about Delgato," he said as he was sitting down in the chair.

Bogo frowned. "What's wrong with him?"

"You really told him to harass Hopps?"

 _Ay, there's the rub!_

"I did, more or less. It wasn't an order, of course, merely a suggestion. Why?"

"That's what I wanted to hear from you."

Bogo shrugged. "How many cops with the rank of Officer do you know of who received the Medal of Honor?"

"You're sitting in front of one."

Bogo flinched. "What? I didn't know."

"Because I usually don't parade my orders around for everyone to see. During my fourth month of service, my team leader and I came across a bunch of mammals who'd been heisting one bank after another and had done so for months. The financial damage alone was tremendous, but it was made much worse by the fact that they had no qualms to injure or even kill bank clerks. Collateral damage, that's what one of the a-holes called it afterwards. When one of their heists became an outright fiasco, when seven clerks or customers ended up dead, we were withdrawn from all other tasks and given one single order: Find them and take them down! And after several weeks of the hardest work imaginable, after putting our lives in danger several times, we managed to do it. And since I had done most of said work, my team leader suggested me for the Medal of Honor, and the Mayor and the Chief agreed. And there you have it."

"Well, I guess it's a bit late to say my congrats, right?"

Mastiff huffed. "I'm not here for your approval. I still want to know why you gave Delgato the order to harass Hopps."

"Like I told you, I haven't given him an order. You know I can't order him to do something like that. I merely asked him whether he would do it."

"That's a distinction without a difference. Delgato deals with it like it had been an order."

"That's not my problem. I don't think I have any influence on what Delgato thinks."

"But you have enough influence to make other mammals believe that you're right."

"You think I'm not?"

"You have rarely been more wrong, although Delgato certainly seems to think otherwise. So tell me, what did you tell him, Adrian?"

"I told him that Hopps isn't ready. Can't be ready. Not after such a short amount of time as a police officer. Don't tell me you see this any differently."

"No, I quite agree. Hopps certainly needs a lot more experience. She says so herself."

"You talked to her?"

"We met in The Watering Hole yesterday, as usual, and Pennington had invited Hopps, too."

"I assume Delgato was also there."

"He was, that's how I learned of this."

"How did they react to the presence of each other?"

"One word? Badly. Hopps outright refused to even look at Delgato. Delgato in turn talked about Hopps as if she wasn't even there. And all other officers treated Delgato like he has rabies." When Bogo didn't reply, Mastiff said slowly: "Do you start to see why I think you are walking the wrong path here? All the order you gave Delgato did was make two mammals absolutely miserable when they shouldn't be, and it also gave team spirit a massive blow. For whatever reason, most officers seem to think that Hopps is truly one of them, ready or not, and harassing her is quite a sure-fire way to piss them off. They were just as angry at Delgato as they would have been if he had, for instance, harassed Clawhauser."

Bogo stared at Mastiff in wonderment. The thought that Hopps might be met with general acceptance by her peers hadn't even occurred to him, seeing how they had treated her when she had joined Precinct One. "They think Hopps is one of them?"

"Oh, they do. Each and every one of them. They have the crazy feeling that because she's solved the Savage Predators case, that she's proven her mettle."

"They thought quite differently a few weeks ago."

"Are you referring to the time when Hopps joined our group of merry mammals?"

"I do."

"And you're surprised they think differently now?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. Most officers treated her with a distinct lack of respect back then."

"Yes, and they thought they were perfectly right to do so. After all, she was just a bunny, just tiny, would probably be crushed by an elephant before long, the carrot-eater, the long-ear, the fluff-butt … Wasn't that your line of thinking?"

"I don't think my …" Bogo hesitated, then he shrugged. "Tell me yours was any different."

"To be honest, when Hopps came here, I wasted no thoughts on her whatsoever. She wasn't my problem to deal with, so I cared little for her. This changed, however, when she began doing the work the other officers were supposed to do. I started taking notice. And what I saw, I liked. All other officers think along the same lines. They all held her in little esteem. That changed when she unraveled the Missing Mammals and Savage Predators cases. She's shown she can pull her own weight, and do it good. Heck, she could pull _yours_ for that matter."

He leaned forward. "And you think the exact same thing. You like her, and you like her _a lot_. You think she's on her way to become an outstanding officer. She's still a bit green, but that's nothing a few months of service, hard work, dedication and the right amount of tutelage can't fix. That sounds about right?"

"It does."

"Then why, pray tell, are you trying to jeopardize it all by subjecting her to harassment?"

"I'm not jeopardizing it!"

"Aren't you? The way I see it, you are just ruining Hopps's motivation. That's all you do right now."

"I am merely showing her that the work of a police officer isn't all sunshine and daisies."

"And you think she didn't know that already? Do you think she's still that naïve? After all she has done, after managing to be top of her class at the ZPA, which certainly is no small feat, given the fact that she's a bunny, after finding the Missing Mammals, after exposing Bellwether and putting her behind bars? After having done parking duty at your behest? She did, didn't she?"

"You know the answer to that."

"So that would be a yes." Mastiff leaned back again. "Damn! I had no idea it was that bad!"

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I had no idea you were that indoctrinated."

"Indoctrinated?"

"Do you even know why we do parking duty?"

Bogo narrowed his eyes. "To find parking violators, of …"

"That's not what I meant. The city of Zootopia rakes in the fines while we do the work. Why is that?"

"Because we are employed by the city."

"So if we are, why is the city dependant on no less than 487 mammals whose only job it is to find parking violators? Mammals that don't belong to the ZPD, I might add. And before you ask, I know the number's right, I looked it up."

Bogo sighed. "Because we don't have the mammalpower."

"Damn right, we don't. And since that's the case, why do you still assign parking duty to your officers?"

"Because it's the best way to discipline new officers or …"

"So you obviously assume that everyone leaving the ZPA, every rookie joining the ZPD lacks discipline by default, right?"

Bogo shrugged. "You do know that things are done a little bit differently here than they are done at the ZPA, don't you?"

"And what is parking duty going to teach the rookies? That life's a piece of is shit when you look at it? That becoming a cop was a bad idea? That work sucks? Is that the general idea?"

"No, of course …"

"Then why do you do it? Why don't you make the rookies team up with veterans instead who show them the ropes? Who give them a dressing-down when they screw things up? Who show them their place if they tend to think they're superior? Don't you think that would be a much more effective way of putting our rookies to good use?" Mastiff made a pause. "Like I said, indoctrinated."

"Adimar, would you please explain yourself? You are still talking in riddles."

Mastiff folded his paws over his chest. "Let me tell you a little story about your predecessor, Michael Ironhide. When I joined the ZPD, he wasn't the Chief. Back then, it was Barbara Kendrick. A mighty fine woman, let me tell you! She'd become the chief simply because she oozed competence. As tough as the toughest of them, she was also very compassionate and always willing to step in on behalf of her officers. She protected us, but she didn't hesitate to dish out severe punishment when somebody screwed up. But even when she did, she was always fair. We all loved her dearly. She was a great Chief, probably the greatest this city has ever seen.

"But she already was way into her fifties, so retirement age was looming. Looking for a successor, she'd found Ashraf N'komo, a zebra who would certainly have been a worthy new chief. He was just a model police officer, the kind of guy who makes you think that he can only have been created in a lab.

"Sadly, N'komo died when a kidnap went south and the kidnapper blew himself up with a suicide vest, taking down half the building and everyone in it, including N'komo, who had tried to negotiate with him.

"And less than six months later, Kendrick developed a very aggressive form of ovarian cancer. Before we knew it, she was dead, too.

"And there was no worthy successor." Upon Bogo's look, he added: "You seem surprised."

"I am. I always thought Ironhide had become Chief on his own merit."

Mastiff snorted. "Ironhide? He couldn't find a coherent sentence with two paws and a flashlight! He had the necessary rank, and he had earned it, but he severely lacked both the competence and the humbleness needed to become a truly good chief. He may have been an outstanding SWAT team leader, but he was the worst chief you can possibly imagine. And things went downhill soon."

"Wait a minute! Ironhide may not have been the most popular Chief, but he was a very competent …"

"Ironhide was a blithering idiot! There was only one thing he believed in, and that was the law of the jungle. Only the strong survive. You're not strong? There's the door. He wasn't competent at all, not one tiny bit. Do you know why Clawhauser works at Dispatch today?"

Bogo hesitated. This sudden mental leap had caught him completely off-guard. "I seem to recall he suffered a major injury while on duty."

"That's right. Do you remember the last mob war in Tundratown, some twelve years ago?"

"Of course I do! Caught three bullets during one of their assaults. Took me out of action for almost half a year."

"Was it really that long? Anyway, you certainly remember just how bad the situation was. Mammals were dying left, right, and center. Ironhide asked several precincts to assist us so he could assemble a team to shut it down. A really big team. In the end, it took almost one hundred and seventy police officers from six different precincts. But the sheer mammalpower did the trick, we managed to end the war and arrest a truckload of criminals. But during the final assignment, Clawhauser's left leg was almost bitten off by a tiger he thought was unconscious. He survived, barely, and the doctors even managed to save his leg. But his days as a beat cop, his days working as a SWAT team member, were over."

"I guess with all the confectionery he's eating today, he wouldn't be able to do it anymore anyway."

"True, but you remember what he looked like when he joined us?"

"Yes. He was a lean, mean fighting machine."

"That he was. Maybe he wasn't the best cop overall, maybe he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, maybe he even wasn't in the best physical shape imaginable. But he certainly was very fast, he never hesitated to go into the thick of things, he followed orders without question. And he's a really nice fellow to boot. A good, solid officer, in pretty much the same line as, for instance, Delgato is." Mastiff made a pause. "Ben wasn't the only mammal who suffered injuries."

"Don't tell me you were injured, too."

"I was. A rhino gored me. But I pulled through."

"Of course you did."

"Yeah. You know what I received for my work?"

"Your umpteenth Purple Shield?"

"Yes, there's that, but I also received the Combat Cross. You know what Clawhauser received?"

"No idea."

"The walking papers."

Bogo's jaw dropped. " _What?_ "

"You heard me. He was no longer able to work on the beat, that one was clear. And everybody, including me, was sure that he would end up being a cripple, and for the record, I've never been more happy to be proven wrong. Ironhide's thoughts had been quite similar. He thought that since he was no longer able to work on the beat, that he was completely useless. So he wanted to kick him out."

"You cannot possibly be serious!"

"Believe me, I am dead serious! I had just left the hospital when I heard about it. So I went to Ironhide immediately. But he was absolutely adamant. I asked him why Ben wasn't receiving the same plaudits I had received, seeing that we were injured in the very same sortie. And this douchebag had the audacity to tell into my face me that the difference between me and Clawhauser was that I was a Major and Clawhauser just a 3rd Detective. In his own words, I was way more important to the cause than Clawhauser was, and since he wasn't willing to, and I quote him here, let the ZPD be weighed down by useless ballast, he had already signed the walking papers."

"So why is he still with us?"

"Because I fought tooth and claw for him. I begged and pleaded to the old fool to keep Clawhauser on the roster. It was me who suggested that Clawhauser may become a dispatcher, something he'd always loved doing. Ironhide finally relented, but believe me, I rarely had to fight for something so hard."

"Does Ben know?"

"No. He has no idea that his career was hanging by a thread, that I'm the reason he's still with us, and I prefer to keep it that way. And if you tell him, I have to kill you."

Bogo chuckled at that. "Duly noted. So, I agree, Ironhide screwed up there."

"That wasn't the only time he screwed up. He made officers team up that absolutely hated each other, claiming that all that hatred was building character. All the teams fell apart at one point or another. He put the most physically unfit officers on paw patrol, claiming that all that walking and running might turn them into good runners. It never did."

"I never experienced any of this."

"Because he loved you. You were the epitome of what he thought an officer should be like - incredibly strong, both physically and mentally. Of course he treated you like his most favorite son. Of course he gave you everything you ever wanted. Of course you never had to team up with someone whose sight you couldn't stand. Of course you were only assigned those kinds of duty you liked doing. And I know that none of this is your fault. You just did what you had to do, and you did it spectacularly well.

"It's an open secret that he desperately wanted you to become his successor. Unfortunately, there was me. I was the, ahem, 'heir apparent,' simply because the Mayor back then thought I'd be the best guy for the job. I had ten more years of service on my back than you, that's why he thought I'd be better than you. Ironhide disagreed vociferously. He preferred you to be the one. They had some very hefty clashes over the issue, always comparing the two of us. Which wasn't all that helpful, seeing that apart from my advantage when it came to experience, we were virtually identical, same rank, same unblemished reputation, roughly the same track record. There was only one major difference: I never wanted to become the Chief. You cannot imagine how happy Ironhide was when I told him so, because that meant that his personal favorite would step up to the plate."

"You're accusing him of favoritism?"

"I do. And like I said, it's not your fault. It's the way he was wired. That was just his mantra - only the strong survive, and you're definitely much stronger than I could ever be. That was his line of thinking. It was _always_ his line of thinking. Whatever he did, he always tried to sort the wheat from the chaff. Maybe you remember that this was one of his most favorite catchphrases. He used it whenever possible, and he made a lot of mammals suffer in the process.

"Rookies, for example. He was the one who'd established the tradition that every rookie had to start his career doing parking duty. He thought that no rookie coming in could ever have developed the mental and physical toughness required for this job. So to toughen them up, he gave them the most hated job in all of Zootopia. And what did that achieve? Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Did you never ask yourself why the number of tickets all those rookies issue is so darn low? The total number of tickets issued in this city each and every day easily reaches 1000, maybe even way more. So what a difference does it make if the rookie issues, let's say twenty?"

"Hopps managed to do 292 on her very first day," Bogo said silently.

"She did? Kudos to her! How many did you issue on your first day?"

"Gee, I don't know. Thirtyish, maybe forty."

"Did you like it?"

"You know full well that everybody hates parking duty."

"So if you hate it yourself, why do you maintain the tradition? Do you honestly think it achieves anything? The mammals forced to do it are pissed off, and rightly so, I might add, so they certainly don't overexert themselves, meaning that the number of tickets they issue remains negligible. The rookies don't gain experience they sorely need. And they certainly don't learn humbleness, to the contrary. Most are so eager to finally be allowed to do what they trained for, to do what they excelled at, they rush into things head over heels, only to be cut down to size again in the worst possible way. On the whole, nobody wins."

"What do you say? I should stop ordering officers to do parking duty?"

"Would be a start."

"Do you hate it so much yourself?"

Mastiff grinned. "Just so you know, I've never done any parking duty in my life. When I was a rookie, Kendrick was the Chief, and she only dished out parking duty to those who'd screwed up royally. Since I never did, I was spared. And when Ironhide took over, I was already so high in rank and so highly decorated that he didn't dare putting me on parking duty. No, I simply want you to get rid of it because I think it's utterly useless. You can use it as a means of punishment - that's what Kendrick did -, but not to make rookies humble or to teach them their place. As a rule, rookies are taught at the Academy to know their role, and I've yet to come across one who thinks he's superior. And should there ever be some, they'll learn soon enough, when their team leader gives them a thorough tongue-lashing for screwing up."

"Ironhide gave me parking duty after I had received my Medal of Honor."

"And when I heard about it, I thought he was finally off his rocker. You had just achieved an outstanding feat, and you were punished for this? And you already were a Lieutenant, if I'm not very much mistaken. Just what was he thinking?"

"It wasn't punishment! It …"

"So you enjoyed it that time around?"

"Of course not! But he wanted to prevent any feelings of hubris or stuff like that."

Mastiff snorted. "Yeah, right! Adrian, we know each other for more than twenty years, and I have never seen you display any sort of hubris. You have always been rather modest, and you certainly don't go around parading your awards, treating everyone else with a 'I-am-better-than-you' attitude. You _are_ superior to everybody here by definition, because you happen to be the Chief. And by the way, you earned it. I may have been the first one who was asked whether he wanted to succeed Ironhide, but that was only because I had about ten years of service more than you. In many ways, you were better than me, _are_ better than me, so I consider you to be a worthy Chief.

"You've always been an extraordinarily good police officer, pretty much from day one. There has never been any reason to reprimand you, because the mistakes you have made were few and far between, and they had always been outweighed by your achievements. There was no reason to subject you to parking duty. On top of that, I tend to think that the experience taught you nothing you hadn't already known. It was completely and utterly useless, and it took a highly capable officer off the roster when we needed every able-bodied officer. Ironhide was basically punishing you for having done an excellent job. Very bad idea, all things considered. In essence, you doing parking duty, that was just harassment."

Mastiff almost slouched in his chair. "When Ironhide was still leading Precinct One, harassment was the norm. And I don't mean the harmless pranks we pull on each other. You know why I keep a squirt gun in my office? During our lunch break, I often take a short nap. That's when one of my Homies walks into my office, takes my eye patch off and hides it. So when I wake up, I often have to search for the darn thing. They never tell me who the jokester is, and they are always surprised when I find out. The hiding place usually tells me the whole story. So the next time the culprit tries to leave his or her office again, they get soaked, courtesy of the squirt-gun-toting Pirate Greybeard. We have a laugh about it, and that's it. And you wouldn't believe the other pranks we pull on each other. All in good fun, never humiliating or outright annoying.

"That's not what I'm talking about here. I mean the deliberate belittling of your workmates, the hazing, the bullying. All the stuff you made Delgato do. Everybody did it, because Ironhide pretty much set the tone. He was the worst bully you can possibly imagine. If you weren't strong enough, you were bullied. _You_ were spared, because you were strong. _I_ was spared, because he didn't dare do this to a guy who had almost as many years of service on his back as he had, to a guy who had an almost unblemished reputation.

"What does bullying achieve? Nothing! Hopps is a very good example. She knows her role, and she knows it very well. She's humble, she's modest. And she's a damn good cop. She certainly isn't that strong from a physical point of view, but seeing that she's a bunny, that doesn't mean a lot. She's incredibly capable. I wouldn't be surprised if she would make a good Chief at one point. Your successor, maybe?"

Bogo raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to get rid of me?"

"Of course not! But it never hurts to plan ahead." Mastiff straightened himself again and leaned forward. "So why the bullying? Has she screwed up? No, she hasn't. Her performance record so far is unbelievably good. So why do you think it's necessary to bully her?"

He made a pause, as if waiting for an answer, but Bogo didn't respond. And even if he had wanted to, he had no idea what to say.

"You don't even know, right?" Mastiff nodded. "And that's what I meant when I said you are indoctrinated. You do the things in the very same manner Ironhide did them. You never even ask yourself whether they're right or not, you just do them. Ironhide's influence on you was so massive, still _is_ so massive, that you stopped thinking for yourself at one point. You just follow along the same lines he walked. You never questioned his attitude. To you, everything he did was right. You also seem to think that only the strong survive. You tend to treat rookies just like he did, when they don't deserve it. You resort to harassment just like he did. I joined the ZPD when things were quite differently, and it was for the better. Team morale was better, mammals enjoyed their job more than they do today. Right now, both Hopps and Delgato thoroughly hate their jobs. Is that really what you want? Wouldn't it be far better if they enjoy their given tasks?"

He sighed. "You're a damn good Chief. I enjoy working for you, working together with you. It's both a pleasure and an honor. But I feel obliged to tell you the same thing I told Delgato yesterday: It's high time you start thinking with both your heart _and_ your brain. You still do the things the way Ironhide did them. Stop it! Start thinking for yourself, or other mammals will do the thinking for you! Stop trying to make mammals strong! Start making them _good_! Start listening with your heart _and_ your ears!"

He stood up. "You know, it sort of saddens me that I need to tell you all of this. You're smarter than this! I shouldn't be forced to do this to you. You should really start looking at what mammals can do when left to their own devices. Hopps surprised you when she found the Missing Mammals. She shouldn't have. She was valedictorian of her class, so deep down inside you knew, or at least you should have known, that she was capable of doing great things. Treat her accordingly. Let someone, a seasoned veteran, show her how things are done on the beat, and you'll have an outstanding police officer in the making. Stop hazing her! She doesn't deserve it, and it doesn't help her become better at all, to the contrary."

Bogo looked at Mastiff, still not knowing what to say. In all his years as a police officer, he had never faced a situation quite like this one. This wasn't just any mammal who had told him all this. This was Major Adimar Mastiff, one of the most seasoned veterans the ZPD had to offer, highly decorated, held in the highest esteem imaginable. He had already been a veteran when Bogo had still not known how to lace his boots correctly (not that he ever wore some). In every other case, if any other mammal had told him something similar, Bogo would have dismissed the criticism as pointless. But when Adimar Mastiff told you something like that, you were well advised to stop and listen to what he had to say.

"So what do you suggest?" Bogo finally asked.

Mastiff shrugged. "You can talk to Delgato, take back your stupid suggestion, let him treat Hopps as a normal workmate. But right now, I'm not sure that will work all that well. Right now, there's just so much animosity between the two of them. Maybe the only way to fix this right now is to make them team up with different partners. I'm afraid they dislike each other so much at this point, that forcing them to still work together will only create more bad blood."

Bogo nodded. "Thanks for telling me."

Mastiff smiled. "Anytime, Adrian." With that, he turned around and left the office.

Bogo leant back in his chair, thinking.

Did Mastiff have a point?

It had never occurred to Bogo that his predecessor might have been incompetent. He had never seen any of the things Mastiff mentioned, but that wasn't saying much. Mastiff had been perfectly right - even Bogo himself had to admit that Ironhide had always handled him with kid gloves. Apart from the episode where he had been forced to do parking duty after having been awarded the Medal of Honor, Bogo had always received everything he had wanted, everything he had hoped for. If Mastiff was to be believed, nobody had ever gotten quite the same treatment. Not even remotely.

Not that Bogo would have been able to tell. He had never cared much for inner-precinct gossip, and he certainly had never cared much for the opinions of others in regards to other mammals. So if other officers had disliked Ironhide, he would certainly have been the last to know, simply because nobody would have told him.

Before he had become Chief, most officers at Precinct One had already Bogo pegged as a loner. He still had few friends among his workmates - Mastiff was virtually the only one, and Bogo still couldn't shake the feeling that their relationship was more due to Mastiff's insistence than due to any effort of his. Especially after having lost Meredith, he tended to protect his privacy, so the number of officers that had really gotten to know him as a mammal over the years was insignificant. And after having become Chief, he had, in the eyes of his subordinates, probably become even more aloof.

And if Bogo was honest with himself, this was just the way he wanted it to be.

Should he have listened more? What would it have taught him? Would he behave any differently now?

With a start, he realized that he had little more than half an hour left to read all the reports from the night shift. He took the first file immediately, then dropped it again. Reading in a hurry was always a bad idea, and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't in the mood to read about scuffles among drunk mammals and petty pickpockets arrested for having stolen a few bucks.

Instead, he got up and left his office.

A few steps to the left of his office, a row of pictures, unofficially known as the "Wall of Fame," showed all the Chiefs of Precinct One since its inception. Standing a few paces in front of the gallery, he looked at the faces. His particular concern were the two rightmost pictures, showing one female jaguar and one male rhinoceros. Both mammals were smiling, showing their teeth, which in the case of the jaguar, was much more impressive.

Bogo had never gotten to know Barbara Kendrick - she had died almost one year before he had become a police officer -, but her reputation had been so extraordinary that her name had been about the first one he had heard when joining Precinct One. A lot of the older officers had been bemoaning the fact that she hadn't been the Chief anymore, that death had claimed her much too early. Her successor, Michael Ironhide, had never been quite as popular. Even Bogo himself had to admit that he had never liked him all that much. There had always been something quite unscrupulous about the rhino that had unnerved a lot of mammals. He had been known for having a short temper, for demanding the impossible, for treating you with respect only if you had excelled.

Nobody had shed a tear when he had stepped down. Rumor had it that some officers had even celebrated his retirement.

Bogo couldn't shake the feeling that after Kendrick's untimely death, elation had been in really short supply. Crying had probably been the much more common reaction.

 _What will they say when I step down? Will they cry? Will they celebrate?_

Suddenly he heard someone clear his throat. He turned around to see his orderly, Sergeant Higgins. "Good morning, Chief," the hippo said.

"Morning, Higgins." Bogo looked back at the gallery of pictures.

"Uh, Chief, is something the matter?" Higgins's voice sounded quite cautious.

"Did you like Ironhide much?" Bogo asked, then he paused.

 _Why am I asking this?_

"Uh, erm, well." Higgins was audibly hesitating.

Bogo was puzzled for a moment, but suddenly he understood.

Mouthing off about superiors, even those who had long since quit the job, was considered to be one of the ultimate no-nos in every police station. It was quite obvious that Higgins would have loved to say something about Ironhide, probably something not quite flattering, but he felt reluctant to do it. "Permission to speak freely, Higgins," Bogo said quickly.

Higgins took a deep breath. "Frankly, Chief, I hated him. I hated the mere sight of him."

 _Alright, that would qualify as mouthing off._ "And why is that?"

"He was just the worst Chief you can possibly imagine. At one point, he simply told me that he didn't like me. But he never told me why. And I don't think I have ever given him a reason to dislike me. But that was just the way he was. I think he treated most officers in pretty much the same manner."

"Do you think he favored me?"

Higgins snorted. "Honestly? You were about the only mammal at Precinct One who was in his good graces."

"Ah. Figures."

"What do you mean?"

Bogo shrugged. "I was told that I was his first pick as a possible successor."

"Of course you were." He looked up at Bogo. "Don't tell me you didn't know."

"Until today, I didn't, no." Bogo took a deep breath. "Do you hate me as well?"

Higgins hesitated visibly. "Sir?"

"I'd like to hear your candid opinion, Higgins. Do you hate me?"

"Er, no, sir, I don't." Higgins straightened himself. "Although there are moments when I think that you are indeed a worthy successor of Ironhide."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Higgins hesitated again, then he visibly pulled himself together. "I mean, Chief, that you'd be well advised to not treat everybody as harshly as Ironhide did. When you became the Chief, you … hardened."

"Hardened?"

"I don't know how else to call it. You just became hard. You've never come across as the most sociable mammal, but …" Higgins paused. "Sorry, sir, that was inconsiderate. My apologies."

Bogo turned towards Higgins. "I have asked for your candid opinion, Higgins, and I'm prepared to hear it, even if I may not like it very much. So please, let me hear it!"

Higgins straightened himself. "Alright. You've always been the epitome of a tough guy, but ever since you became the Chief, it became worse. Toughness seems to be your mantra. You're not nearly as bad as Ironhide was, years gone by, but in my opinion, you'd be well advised to cut your officers some slack every now and then. Keeping them on a tight leash can only take you so far, Chief. Treat them less harshly, and maybe they won't fear you so much."

"Some officers fear me?"

Higgins nodded. "Some of the younger officers are quite intimidated by you, yes, sir."

"I see. What do you think, does harassment fall into the category of things I shouldn't do?"

"Of course it does! Harassment is ugly! Always was, always will be! I never understood why some officers thought it would be necessary to break rookies in by harassing them. And I have always tried to avoid harassing others myself." He paused. "Is that why Hopps was in such a bad mood yesterday?"

Bogo sighed. "What do you think of her?"

"I think she can be a worthy addition to every precinct's roster."

"You think she earned the Medal of Honor?"

"Oh yes, she did. What she did, most officers wouldn't have been able to do. It was an outstanding achievement, and she had no support from us whatsoever. She's a good cop, and with the right tutelage, she can only become better."

Bogo nodded. Higgins had basically told him exactly the same thing Mastiff had told him before. Maybe it really was time to start doing things differently. "Right. Thank you, Higgins, for your candid words. You wanted to talk about roll call?"

"Uh, yes, sir. Anything I should know about?"

Bogo made an inviting gesture. "Come into my office, and I'll fill you in."

* * *

 **As a rule, I don't waste much thought on the titles for my chapters, but there was a very good reason why I gave this story arc the title "The Gauntlet."**

 **But just whose gauntlet are we talking about now? Judy's? Delgato's? Or even Bogo's?**

 **In case you can't tell yet, I have great plans for Benjamin Clawhauser, and they will come to fruition in "Hammer to Fall." Then again, I have great plans for so many mammals …**

 **Just so you know, the name "Kendrick" purportedly originates from the welsh word "Cynwrig" which translates to "greatest champion." A fitting name for the best Chief in the history of Zootopia, don't you agree? And the first name Barbara, well, can you guess?**

 **Right, it's my wife's first name! (Or rather, one of it's countless diminutives, Bärbel.)**

 **In case you wanna know who Meredith was, I refer you to my first story, "Nightmare."**

 **The Purple Shield is awarded to officers who are injured in the line of duty. If they're killed, it's awarded posthumously. And the Combat Cross is the second-highest award that can be bestowed upon a police officer.**

 **For your information, in my hometown, parking duty is indeed performed in its entirety by the city itself. They employ several people who do nothing but look for parking violations. Most cities in Germany follow similar lines. I don't know how things are in other countries, but I guess they aren't all that different. Parking duty just takes a lot of manpower the police forces usually don't have, and since the cities receive the parking fines, they are the ones responsible. In my version of Zootopia, things are the same.**

 **And Judy certainly didn't stop at 201 tickets on her first day, even with having to chase Nick down. 292 sounded like a nice, solid number.**

 **Now for the obligatory quotes:**

 **I hid one line from the song "You Can't Bring Me Down" by Suicidal Tendencies in this chapter. Have fun finding it!**

 **Another quote was taken out of the movie "The American President."**

 **The movie "Stripes" gave me another quote to use in this chapter.**

 **Yet another quote can be found in the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by Monty Python. That one should be easy to find.**

 **And there's an obvious Shakespeare reference in here, too.**

 **That's it for the moment! Stay tuned for more mayhem, courtesy of … no, I'm not doing it again, Dirtkid123! Courtesy of your favorite Catweazle!**

 **Thanks for reading, and any review is much appreciated!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	21. Chapter Twenty-One - The Gauntlet V

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **Don't have much to say at this stage - I'll have a lot to say in the author's notes towards the end of the chapter. So let's cut to the chase, shall we?**

 **I'm looking at these stats right now: More than 26,300 views, 253 reviews, 117 favorites, and 163 alerts. As of now, this is the story which received the most reviews so far, a few more than "Nightmare." And I cannot thank you enough for this!**

 **As usual, I'm indebted to Combat Engineer, Story. Writer. 2015, Robert Escher, Kenneth Walker, GhostWolf88, honeysucklecupcakes, Stubat, Galaxyexplorer74, Dirtkid123, Melior (Our exchange of PMs was such a joy!), DrummerMax64, niraD, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, LupinTheWolf, Viridi. Inanitas, HawkTooth, and Missy2. 0 Frozen forever for reviewing this story.**

 **But, please, Kenneth Walker, if you disagree with what I write, why don't you tell me what your point of criticism is, so I can explain my line of thinking to you? It's perfectly okay to criticize me. I never mind hearing candid opinions, even if they clash with mine. And if you come across a mistake I made, it would be great if you could just tell me so I can rectify it and avoid it in the future. If you don't tell me anything, I'll never know about these mistakes. So, please, the next time you feel the need to point out a mistake or similar stuff to me, please give me at least a little something to work with, okay?**

 **DrummerMax 64 did it again! Not only did he find all quotes hidden in the last chapter, he also discovered two of the quotes being left from the previous ones. Summing it up:**

 **1\. The line taken out of the computer game "Tomb Raider: Legend" I hid in Chapter Fourteen was "Oh, you're going to find me extremely credulous today," said by McHorn. Lara Croft says it after finishing the Kazakhstan level of the game, during the cutscene.**

 **2\. The reference to the TV series "Magnum p.i." from Chapter Fifteen was, of course, "Higgy-Baby." This is how Nick called Higgins in this story, and why on Earth did it take this long to find it? It's how T.C. usually calls Jonathan Higgins, the majordomo of "Robin's Nest," the place were Thomas Magnum is living. No idea what I'm talking about? Watch the series, it's still hugely entertaining! (My version of Thomas Higgins, the hippo from Zootopia, actually is an amalgamation of both Magnum and Higgins from the series - Magnum's first name, and Higgins's last one, the latter being predetermined by the movie, of course.)**

 **3\. "What the hell is going on around here?" That's what lead singer Mike Muir shouts after the awesome intro of Suicidal Tendencies' "You Can't Bring Me Down," and it's what Bogo thought after being confronted by Clawhauser.**

 **4\. The quote from the movie "The American President" was "He couldn't find a coherent sentence with two paws and a flashlight!" said by Mastiff. In the movie, President Andrew Shepard (Michael Douglas) describes some of his predecessors like this: "We've had Presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight."**

 **5\. The movie "Stripes" provided me with a line said by John Candy, who was playing Dewey "Ox" Oxburger, a rather portly private who was dreaming of becoming "a lean, mean fighting machine."**

 **6\. And as the diehard fan of Monty Python that I am, I just had to include the line "Life's a piece of shit when you look at it" from the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, written by Eric Idle.**

 **7\. "Ay, there's the rub!" is a line I actually used once before, in "Nightmare." It was written by William Shakespeare and appears in the play "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark," Act III, Scene 1, as part of the infamous "To be, or not to be" monologue spoken by Prince Hamlet.**

 **Congratulations, DrummerMax. But there still are two quotes remaining …**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

 **The Gauntlet V**

 _This will be the day we've waited for. This will be the day we open up the door._

Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams: "This Will Be The Day" (Written by Jeff Williams, from the album "RWBY Volume 1 Soundtrack," Rooster Teeth Productions, 2013)

* * *

 **In Front of the Grand Pangolin Arms Apartment Building, Furrari 330 GTS Spider, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

The car was his everything. He had bought it on a whim for next to nothing, an old clunker, a wreck even, more than forty years old, with more than 300,000 miles on the odometer. The engine had been shot, the chassis a bucketful of rust and cracks, the running gear a terrible mess. Today, after countless hours of repairing and tinkering, done mostly by himself, after having invested a huge amount of money, the Furrari Spider looked as good as new. Its engine ran smooth as silk, its running gear was in mint condition, not a speck of rust or even dust marred its looks. It was his pride and joy.

On any normal day, sitting in the car alone was enough to put a smile on Frederick Delgato's face.

This morning, it didn't even register with him.

For two nights in a row, he had barely slept at all. The last evening in particular had been an outright disaster. Having received a verbal tongue-lashing by no other than Adimar Mastiff had shaken him to the core.

He had gone to The Watering Hole to relax, to unwind, to wash away the stress of several days of hard work.

He had left it feeling more wound-up than ever.

When had things gotten that out of paw?

When Bogo had asked him to harass Hopps.

And everything that had happened afterwards had been a huge pain in the butt.

Contrary to him, it seemed that Hopps had enjoyed the last evening immensely. She had happily chatted away with their coworkers; at one point she had even started cracking crack silly jokes. When being asked, she had willingly related tales of her past, of her home, of her time at the ZPA - her impersonation of Major Friedkin had been absolutely spot-on -, of her first days of duty. Of the Missing Mammals and Savage Predators cases.

The only thing she hadn't mentioned at all was him.

It was as if to her, the last two days had never taken place.

The whole evening, she had cast no further look at him. She had, for all intents and purposes, ignored his presence completely.

And it had come as a huge surprise to Delgato when he had realized that her attitude towards him had been causing an almost physical pain.

It seemed like she was a really nice girl, friendly, modest, supportive, funny. They should have gotten along splendidly.

She was hating him.

And he couldn't blame her. It was his fault, and Bogo's.

Or was it?

After having returned home - he had been the first one to leave, much earlier than usual, probably much earlier than everyone else -, he had spent the night tossing and turning in his bed, waiting for sleep, finding none. He had been thinking about the situation, about Hopps, about himself, about the order Bogo had given him.

It hadn't been an order; Bogo had made this abundantly clear. But he had treated it as such. Of course he had. Contradicting his superior officer wasn't even in his vocabulary. He just followed orders, plain and simple. To him, Bogo's word was the law.

Because he naturally assumed that, as far as official matters were concerned, the cape buffalo was right.

But was he? Had he been right when it came to Hopps?

Had she displayed any of the things Bogo had mentioned? Any "better-than-thou" attitude? Any reckless behavior? Any disrespect towards Delgato as her superior officer? Any cluelessness when it came to the situations they had been facing?

The answer, of course, was a resounding No.

At one point during the night, he had realized with a start that he had taken a perfectly wrong approach, pretty much from the very first moment he had joined forces with Hopps. He hadn't tested her for any of the things Bogo had feared, he had merely assumed that she was guilty of all the mistakes and oversights rookies are prone to make. He had approached her with a colossal amount of sheer, unadulterated prejudice.

He should have known better. He should have known _much_ better.

Mastiff had been perfectly right. Delgato hadn't listened with his heart. He hadn't thought with his heart. He had given Hopps no chance to prove herself before passing his verdict on her. In his mind, the verdict on her had already been passed before she had been assigned to become his partner.

That wasn't Bogo fault.

It was his.

Their coworkers had watched and listened. They had seen Hopps excel at everything she had done. As far as they were concerned, she had been put to the test already, and she had succeeded with distinction. That was why they had started treating her as a true equal. They had treated her as if she already was "one of the guys," despite the fact that she had so little experience under her belt.

Even Mastiff had treated her with respect and courtesy. And the old wolf was notoriously hard to please.

The only guy who hadn't even considered the possibility that Hopps might be worthy of being treated with respect had been Delgato himself.

And he hated himself for it.

That was why he was sitting in his car now, watching the entrance of the Grand Pangolin Arms apartment building, the place where Hopps lived. He had already watched her return from her morning run, and it had been obvious that she had been in a great mood. There was a spring in her step that she'd been lacking the day before. She had smiled when a passer-by had approached her, and they had talked for several minutes in a rather animated fashion, with Hopps smiling or even grinning the whole time. The last evening seemed to have worked wonders, as far was her inner equilibrium was concerned.

Now he was waiting for her to leave the building again.

He needed to talk to her.

* * *

 **Grand Pangolin Arms Apartment Building, Top Floor, Apartment 514, Savanna Central, Zootopia**

" _And we'll never be royals. It don't run in our blood. That kind of luxe just ain't for us. We crave a different kind of buzz_."

Judy knew she wasn't the greatest of singers, but sometimes, when she was in an excellent mood, the songs just poured out of her.

" _Let me be your ruler. You can call me Queen Bee. And baby, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule. Let me live that fantasy_."

A short banging against the wall, along with a muffled " _Oy, bunny, pipe down, will ya?_ " reminded her that she wasn't alone in the building.

One of the downsides of living in the glamorous Grand Pangolin Arms.

"Sorry, guys!" she said softly, knowing that Bucky and Pronk Oryx-Antlerson, her next-door neighbors, would be able to hear her anyway.

" _Just shut it already!_ "

With a smile, he gave herself one last check-up in the mirror, grabbed her keys and left the room.

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday, she'd been dead on her paws. Being forced to work with someone who'd treated her like she was the worst scum of the earth had been exhausting, and even her brother's words of comfort had offered her little, had done nothing to ease her mind.

But after having met her workmates at The Watering Hole, her mood had improved massively.

So they didn't all think she was a waste of time and space. Unlike a certain lion she knew.

What a comforting feeling!

Even the thought that she would have to team up with Delgato again didn't bother her all that much. So he didn't like her … So what? Even Adimar Mastiff had treated her in a friendly manner. And he was a Major and Delgato just a Sergeant.

On top of that, when Delgato had left The Watering Hole, she had been under the distinct impression that their workmates hadn't been too well-disposed towards him. Which had come as a surprise to her. Up until that point, she hadn't noticed any signs of Delgato being unpopular among their peers. After all, Francine had welcomed him in a most friendly manner when they had met during the protest rally.

When she had asked Clawhauser about it, he had made a dismissive gesture, assuring her that everything was fine.

Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that both the lack of friendly tones towards Delgato and his treatment of her were somehow connected. All clues led to this as the only conclusion.

For a few seconds, she had been tempted to confront Delgato directly, but had dismissed the idea as ludicrous. It was highly unlikely that he would be willing to explain their workmates' behavior, especially if her instincts were right and the facts really were connected.

Besides, he was her superior officer. And you don't ask a superior officer about stuff like that.

No, it was probably best to still treat him as if he wasn't there. It had worked quite well the day before, it would work quite well today.

Even if it made for painfully boring duty hours.

When she left the building, she noticed that the red sports car - a Furrari, unless she was very much mistaken -, was still standing at the same spot it had stood before, across the street, parked in front of the hardware store. The occupant was completely unrecognizable through the windshield.

And Judy found herself feeling for the taser she wasn't wearing at the moment.

She didn't know why, but something about the car made her feel uneasy.

Her uneasiness increased exponentially, when the car's door was suddenly opened.

And a huge lion wearing a long, black coat was emerging.

Suddenly she was really longing for her taser.

With long, fast strides, the lion started walking towards her. It was only when he had crossed the street that she finally recognized the mammal.

"Oh, it's you," she said, then straightened herself. "I mean, good morning, Sergeant, sir."

Delgato merely looked down at her, silent, unmoving.

Threatening.

 _Does he want to attack me? He wouldn't dare!_

After almost one minute of silence, Delgato said simply: "Come with me, Hopps." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Parking Lot, Furrari 330 GTS Spider, City Center, Zootopia**

They had driven to Precinct One HQ in silence. Delgato had been concentrating on driving through the rush hour madness that Zootopia offered at this time of day, at the same time trying his hardest to figure out what to say to her.

He had gotten her to be alone with him. Now for the tough part.

Killing the engine, he finally turned towards Hopps.

And almost wished he hadn't.

He had never taken anyone along for the ride to their workplace before, much less a mammal as small as Hopps. So of course he didn't own a booster seat suited to someone like her. He had simply covered her seat in several folded-up blankets to allow for her to sit high enough so the safety belt wasn't choking her. It hadn't been an ideal solution, and it showed. Hopps was visibly struggling with the setup which obviously was quite uncomfortable for her. Seeing that she wasn't able to do it on her own, he undid her safety belt and leant back in his seat, turning his head away, staring straight ahead.

"Uh, sir, is something the matter?" Hopps finally asked after almost two minutes of the most awkward silence he could ever have imagined.

Delgato sighed.

 _How in the name of all that's holy did I get into this mess?_

"Slept well, Hopps?"

 _Oh my goodness! You're such a moron!_

He could literally hear Hopps raise an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you made me enter your car just to ask me how my night has been, sir."

Delgato snorted. "Of course not. I was merely … forget it!" He sighed again. "When you came here on Monday, I was watching you enter the building."

"So?"

"I was talking to Bogo while I did." He waited for her to respond to that, but she didn't, so he plowed on. "We were talking about you."

"So?" she said again.

 _Why does this have to be so darn hard? Why does_ she _have to make this so darn hard?_

"Let me guess, sir" Hopps said after yet another extended period of silence, "you were talking about just how useless I am as a police officer, right?" Her voice was oozing sarcasm, unexpectedly so. So far, he hadn't pegged her as an overly sarcastic mammal.

Delgato tried to pull himself together. "No, we were not. We were talking about how you have exceeded everyone's expectations."

That audibly caught Hopps by surprise. "You were?"

"Indeed. You've done the impossible. You have succeeded where other officers have failed. You received the Medal of Honor, and as far as both Bogo and I are concerned, you earned it."

"Then why …"

Delgato finally turned towards her again. "Please, Hopps, just let me explain!" Hopps fell silent again.

Delgato cleared his throat. "You have succeeded. Still, you are a rookie. You have just a few month's worth of experience under your belt, you're still quite green when it comes to working on the beat. You still have a lot to learn."

"I know," Hopps said quietly.

"Of course you do. You are very good, for a rookie. Still, there's a lot of work that needs to be done before you can call yourself a seasoned veteran.

"So Bogo asked me to take you under my proverbial wings."

Delgato straightened himself. Now for the uncomfortable part.

"He also told me to put you to the test. He wanted to know if you were truly worthy of wearing the shield, of the Medal of Honor you received. So he asked me to … well, let's not mince words here." He closed his eyes and said very rapidly: "He asked me to put you to the hardest test you can think of. He asked me to subject you to the worst harassment _I_ could think of. To use his own words, he asked me to show you what you're in for, preferably in the worst possible way."

To his astonishment, Hopps seemed to take this in stride. "I see," she merely said.

"I don't think you do." Delgato looked through the windshield again. "He told me to subject you to harassment, but he gave me free reign when it comes to the details. He shouldn't have."

"What do you mean?"

"He should never have given me free reign. Because when you do, the outcome is always ugly.

"It was Bogo's idea, but I made it mine. It was me who subjected you to all the abuse, to all the ill-treatment. That one isn't on Bogo. It is on me.

"I made the decision to berate you after you had done what I hadn't been able to do. You caught the drug traffickers, not me. I would never have been able to catch up with them, much less catch them. I should have sung your praises. But all I did was shout you down.

"I should have treated you with respect. But I treated you like a pile of dirt. That one's on me. Not on Bogo.

"Everything you did over the course of the last few days was absolutely flawless. You performed much better than I could ever have done. When I was your age, I was an idiot, absolutely useless as a cop. You got off the starting blocks and pretty much excelled at everything you did. If that isn't worthy of my respect, I don't know what is. Seems like I still am an idiot."

He took a deep breath. "Hopps, I want to apologize for the way I treated you over the course of the last two days. I should never have done so, and I'm deeply ashamed that I did.

"I didn't look at who you are, at what you can do. I merely assumed you were a rookie and therefore had to be taught a lesson, and I tried to teach you that lesson in the worst possible way. Maybe I should have put you to the test, but I should never have subjected you to the kind of harassment I dished out. That was ugly, it was unnecessary, and I'm deeply sorry that I did this to you."

He took off his seat belt and opened the car door. "I'll ask Bogo to assign you a new partner. I'm not worthy to be yours. He should team you up with James or Francine. They'll treat you with the respect I denied you."

He had already almost left the car when he heard Hopps shout: "Sergeant, wait!"

He fell back into the seat with a sigh. "What is it, Hopps?"

When he looked at her, he was surprised to see that her face didn't show the usual loathing she had put on display ever since he had started mistreating her.

Was that … _compassion_?

"If you were under orders, then why …" Hopps began.

"It wasn't an order," he interrupted her harshly. "He can't have given me that order. It was a mere suggestion. Had he given that order, he would have made himself vulnerable to disciplinary complaints. You can't order harassment! It's against every law in existence." He made a pause. "He merely suggested it, and I agreed to it. And that was the point I made it my own. That's why it's not Bogo's fault."

"I disagree," Hopps said calmly.

It took a few seconds for Delgato to truly realize what she had said. "You do … _what_?"

Hopps shrugged. "Bogo's the Chief. If he asks you to do something, does it make a difference if it's an order or not?"

Delgato snorted. "It should have made a difference."

He sighed, leant back in his seat and closed his eyes. "You know, I've often been accused of following orders too blindly. 'Start using your common sense,' one of my instructors at the Academy told me. If someone gives me an order, I never question it, I just follow it. And even if it's a mere suggestion, I still follow it. I still see it through to the very, and inevitably bitter end.

"I told you that Bogo and I had a little one-to-one after you had already left for home on Monday. He asked me about your performance, your attitude towards me, your attitude towards the job in particular. When I told him that I was unable to name a single flaw, and how hard it had been for me to keep the façade of the bully, he offered me to reassign you to a different officer. But I refused, telling him that I would see it through to the end.

"Do you see now why Bogo's not at fault here? No, I am to blame. I'm the only one to blame. Regardless of what Bogo told me, I should have used my common sense. I should have realized that harassing you was perfectly stupid. But I refused to even think about it. I just did it.

"I never really thought about whether the stuff I was told to do was right or not. That has always been the case, and my instructors at the Academy were quick to find that one out. They gave me all kinds of silly orders, most of which were completely pointless, and I just followed them to the letter. Made for some really bad grades. Hadn't it been for my skills at paw-to-paw combat, I would never have graduated. I _should_ never have graduated. But I made it, barely. My final grades were so abysmal, they didn't assign me to Precinct One, like I had hoped. No, sir! I was assigned to Precinct Five, Tundratown. And I can't stand the cold! Put me in Savanna Central, maybe even Sahara Square, I'm a happy camper. Put me in a place that's cold or wet, I'm absolutely miserable. So I worked my ass off to make it to Precinct One, and I managed.

"But it seems like I still haven't learned my lesson. I'm still making the very same mistakes I did back at the Academy." He sighed again. "It took an old wolf to give me a wake-up call I should have gotten ages ago."

"Mastiff talked to you?"

"He did. He told me to finally start thinking with both my heart and my brain."

"Sounds like sage advice."

"It is. This is why I'm going to Bogo now to ask him to give you a new partner. I'm not the right guy to team up with you. Not anymore."

"Why?"

He opened his eyes again to look at Hopps, frowning. "What do you mean, why? Because I can't work with you any longer. You hate me, but that's fine, because I was a horrible partner, and I hurt you. And you can walk away …" he broke off.

The bunny was actually smiling at him.

 _What the heck …?_

"You know," Hopps said, "it's funny you should say that, because that's my line."

"Huh?"

The smile faded. "After the first press conference, after I had shot my mouth, accusing all predators of being savages _in potentia_ , Nick Wilde was furious at me, and rightly so, and he told me so in no uncertain terms. But after I finally found out why predators had turned savage, I knew that I needed his help. So I went back to Zootopia and looked for him. And I found him. But of course he was still cross with me. So I apologized to him, and if I remember correctly, I used almost the exact same words you just told me. I told him that after we're done, he could hate me, and that it would be fine, because I had been a horrible friend and had hurt him. And he could walk away, knowing that he had been right all along."

"Right about what?"

Hopps shrugged. "That I'm really just a dumb bunny."

Hopps made a short pause, probably to let that sink in. "Nick forgave me, and I'd given him no reason to. I had treated him like the worst jerk, the worst bully. He had never deserved such a treatment. I had simply proven that I was little more than a naïve little hick, a prejudiced jerk who had blundered along in search for the missing otter. I couldn't have found him without his help. But I still refused to look at Nick as a simple, hard-working mammal who deserved my unconditional trust. All I saw was a fox, and foxes are shifty and untrustworthy. Still, he forgave me when I finally came around, seeing the error of my ways. He even forgave me for almost having used fox repellant on him!

"That's why I try so hard to make sure he can become a police officer. He deserves this chance, and if I can help him along the way, I'll do it, by any means necessary. And if that means I need to train him, I will. It's the least I can do, seeing how I treated him before." She shrugged. "Besides, I need to get used to having a fox around me all the time, seeing that we want to be partners after he graduates."

Delgato just stared at her, incredulity etched on his face. After a few seconds of silence, Hopps continued. "Have you ever been to Bunnyburrow?"

"Not that I recall."

"Well, the place is named Bunnyburrow for a reason. Bunnies are in the vast majority. There are a few families of sheep, a few horses, a few donkeys, several other herbivores, and even a few predators. But for every predator living in Bunnyburrow, we have almost 1000 bunnies. The first day I walked into the ZPA, I saw more predators than I had ever even heard of before. And when I moved to Zootopia, it was even worse, much worse. So many predators in one spot, all the fangs and claws …" She shook her head. "I wasn't used to this. So of course I was worried. I shouldn't have been. We're all civilized mammals, and no predator, no matter how big he is or how ferocious he looks, can ever be a threat to me. Contrary of what the naïve little hick thought, Predators aren't monsters. A sheep tried to tear down Zootopia! Who's the monster now?"

She made another pause. "When I learned that I was to team up with a lion, I was happy. Best way to overcome my fears and prejudices! If I can work with a guy as huge and intimidating as a lion, I need to fear no predator anymore." After yet another pause, she added softly: "You have some pretty impressive fangs and claws, sir."

"I usually make it a point to not show them," Delgato said just as softly.

"No, it's okay. I need to get used to this. You don't need to hold back. Nick doesn't. I told him not to. I have treated him bad enough as it is."

Suddenly she reached out and put her tiny paw on his massive arm.

"I acted like a major jerk towards Nick, yet he forgave me. What does it say about me if I don't forgive you now?"

Delgato suddenly realized that a quite peculiar lump was forming in his throat.

"You forgive me?" he croaked out.

"I would still be a major jerk if I didn't. You harassed me, but you apologized. I accept the apology, and I forgive you. You're not a jerk. You had the wrong ideas, but like they say, we all make mistakes." She took a deep breath. "And if you still want me to be your partner, I'd be honored, sir."

Delgato stared down at her, trying his hardest to get to grips with what he had just heard.

Never, not in a million years, would he have anticipated such a reaction.

He had been certain that she'd jump at the opportunity to get rid of him.

She was doing the exact opposite.

 _She's a far better mammal than I could ever be!_

He straightened himself. " _I'd_ be honored if you'd still want to work together with me."

She beamed at him. "Yes, I want to, sir!"

Delgato shook his head. "Don't 'sir' me, Hopps. I don't deserve it. My name's Frederick. Most guys at work call me Freddie."

"And everybody calls me Judy."

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Office of the Chief of Police, City Center, Zootopia**

 _This is a very weird day!_

As Chief of Police, Adrian Bogo was used to issuing orders, and he was also used to seeing these orders being carried out without compunction or hesitation. The number of times when someone had outright refused to carry out their order was very small. Most of his subordinates knew better than to contradict the Chief.

Now he was staring at a mammal standing in front of his desk with folded arms and grim features. A mammal who had not only voiced his refusal to carry out a given order, but had also proceeded to give him a piece of his mind.

And this piece of mind looked rather ugly.

"Care to repeat that, Fangmeyer?" Bogo said slowly, accentuating every syllable.

"With pleasure," Fangmeyer snarled. "You want me to team up with Hopps so that I can finish the job Freddie started? No dice, Bogo!"

It was, Bogo thought, probably the first time that James Fangmeyer didn't even acknowledge his rank.

Fangmeyer continued: "Harassing Hopps is the last thing on my mind, and you'll run into a bunch of problems if you try to make me do it. She doesn't deserve this kind of treatment. Nor does Freddie, come to think of it. You're just putting the fact that he would never contradict you to bad use. He's the kind of guy who walks into his own doom without question, just because you told him to. He never grew the balls needed to refuse a silly, illegal, or even deadly order. _I_ have this set of balls, and that's why I say: Forget it, Bogo! You can order me around all you want, I still won't do it." He made a pause. "And should you want me to do parking duty because of this, hell, I'll even do _that_! But I won't harass Hopps. Not in this lifetime, not in the next one."

Bogo just stared at him for a few seconds. Never, not in his wildest dreams, had he imagined that one of his faithful subordinates would ever dare to say something like that to his face.

Mastiff had told him that all officers who'd been at The Watering Hole were sharing his sentiments. Nothing could have made this more clearly than Fangmeyer's reaction.

 _Seems like I really have a problem._

Trying his hardest to sound nonchalant, he finally said: "Please remind me, Detective Fangmeyer, when did I order you to harass Hopps?"

And just like that, the grimness on Fangmeyer's features vanished, only to be replaced by puzzlement. "Uh, sir?"

 _Ah, so he knows how to treat a superior officer!_

"I told you that I'm going to split Hopps and Delgato apart. Hopps will team up with you, Delgato will team up with Grizzoli. And that's all I told you."

"But you gave Freddie the order to …"

"I gave him no order at all."

Fangmeyer snorted. "Of course you didn't! You merely told him to, knowing full well that it wouldn't make a difference to Freddie."

Bogo nodded. "I did."

It was obvious that this caught Fangmeyer on the wrong paw. "Wait a second, you even admit to it?"

"Of course I do. A good police officer admits to his mistakes and awaits his just punishment."

"So you agree it was a mistake?"

"I do. I shouldn't have done it. It was a blatant misuse of power. This is why I'm merely telling you to team up with Hopps to show her the ropes the way you see fit."

"Why not let Delgato do it?"

Bogo sighed. "Because Major Mastiff told me they are quite at odds with each other at the moment."

"That's the mother of all understatements! They hate each other!"

"So it would seem. And forcing them to team up again will probably only make it worse. No, I'll split the team apart. It's for the better."

Fangmeyer nodded. "I agree, sir."

"So, does your refusal still stand?"

"No, it doesn't, sir. If you want me to, Chief, I'll team up with Hopps, and do it gladly."

"Excellent! Anything else? If not, you're dismissed!"

Fangmeyer saluted. "Sir." Turning around, he left the office.

He had hardly closed the door when Bogo sighed and leant back in his chair, closing his eyes.

 _Is it really this bad? Was I really that misguided?_

 _Am I really that bad a chief?_

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, Receptionist's Counter, City Center, Zootopia**

After having worked as ZPDs main dispatcher for more than a decade, Benjamin Clawhauser usually said that he'd seen it all. He had seen heroes and villains, petty thieves by the bucketful, civilians in desperate need for help, countless mammals in distress, several police officers in really bad shape - the lot.

But he had never expected to see this particular sight.

Judy Hopps and Frederick Delgato entered Precinct One together, engrossed in a rather animated conversation. Hopps was smiling, and even Delgato looked distinctly less grim as usual. When they parted ways - Delgato had to go to the locker room to get changed into his uniform, whereas Judy was already wearing hers -, Judy looked at Clawhauser and gave him a happy wave before walking towards the bullpen.

 _What in the h-e-double hockey sticks …?_

 _Maybe I should really ease off on the sweet stuff!_

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Briefing Room A aka "Bullpen," City Center, Zootopia**

When Bogo entered the bullpen, he couldn't help feeling a bit wary. If Mastiff's and Fangmeyer's reaction were any indication, there would be several officers in there who didn't feel exactly well-disposed towards him. On any normal day, he wouldn't have minded, as long as they showed him the respect that he deserved. But both Mastiff's and Fangmeyer's words had been severely lacking in respect, and he had the sneaking suspicion that he had deserved it.

Now, what would happen when he was confronted with several mammals who disagreed with his treatment of Hopps? He had no idea.

 _At least, it should be educational._

The first thing he noticed after opening the door was a distinct lack of noise. Usually, when he entered the bullpen, most officers banged their paws/hooves on the tables, shouting a rhythmic chant. It was an old ritual that predated him by several decades, yet everyone seemed to want to hold on to it, despite the fact that it was just plain dumb. Today, a select few officers still did it, but most other mammals in the room simply sat there in silence. Everyone was staring at him.

And the looks those silent mammals gave him weren't exactly friendly.

As his gaze swept the room, he noticed other peculiarities. For one, Major Mastiff was there, too, which was highly uncommon. Most officers working at Homicide Squad didn't attend roll call, because they didn't need to - assignments were given out by Mastiff, not by Bogo. The squad was, for all intents and purposes, running completely autarchic.

Another thing he did notice was that Hopps and Delgato were still sitting next to each other, like they had the day before.

And they had turned their heads in the other direction, pointedly avoiding to look at each other.

 _Yup, splitting them up is really what I should do now._

He cleared his throat. "Alright, that's enough!"

Surprisingly enough, the noise died down immediately. He usually needed to resort to more volume in his voice to restore peace and order.

Bogo put on his glasses and read from one of the pieces of paper he had brought with him. "With the election around the corner, there are no less than three party conventions taking place. The Democratic Party is holding a meeting in Savanna Central, the Republicans, too, and the Green Party is in session in the Rainforest District. Now, security will be dealt with by several private companies, but I was ordered by City Hall to tell you to keep a weather eye open for any disturbances, protestors and the likes. Not that I think anything will happen the security companies won't be able to deal with, but you never know.

"Apart from that, there's not much on the docket today, so … assignments."

He noticed that every mammal in the room seemed to hold their breaths.

"All assignments stay the same as before, with one exception: Delgato, you'll team up with Grizzoli. Fangmeyer, you'll team up with Hopps. Any questions?"

He didn't really expect a reply, so he was surprised when he heard someone say: "Uh, no."

His head shot up. "What did you say?"

Delgato looked up, a look of defiance on his face. "Sorry, what I said was 'no.' Hopps will not team up with anyone else but me."

Bogo grunted. What was that supposed to mean?

A distinct murmur had begun the fill the room, but it was quelled quickly when Delgato got up. Bogo noticed that Hopps was looking at the lion for the first time, with an expression that was difficult to read.

"Isn't it funny?" Delgato said. "Once you've established yourself as a seasoned police officer, once you've started climbing up the greasy pole, you tend to forget how you started. You tend to forget that you once were a rookie, too." He looked around. "I guess that goes for everybody here." To Bogo's surprise, most mammals nodded.

Delgato continued: "When I was a rookie, things were very different for me than they have been for Hopps. I was far from having been valedictorian, unlike her, so there was no chance in hell for me to join Precinct One. I was assigned to Tundratown. And the Chief there, he put me in a team with Sergeant Pamela Middendorff. She was a Kodiak bear from the Northern Regions, so she was quite used to the cold. Unlike me. And the old girl was mocking me relentlessly for complaining about being cold all the time. She must have given me a thousand nicknames, all boiling down to the simple fact that I was a pampered city slicker who wasn't tough enough for Tundratown's environment. 'Icicle' was just one of the more harmless nicknames. Some guys at Precinct Five still call me Icicle whenever I meet them.

"I don't think Pam ever called me by my real name. She only did it once, and that was when I had finally received my reassignment to Precinct One, when I said goodbye to her.

"And how did I manage to make it here? Not on my own account, that's for sure.

"No, I made it here because Pam showed me the ropes.

"She showed me what it was really like to be a police officer. She showed me what it truly meant to put your life on the line in the line of duty. She showed me the value of true partnership. She showed me where focus, dedication, and determination could get you. She formed me into the police officer I am today. If not for her, I wouldn't be here today. Yes, she mocked me, but she never mistreated me. She was just a joker, but apart from that, she was the best teacher you can possibly imagine. She treated me with a respect I probably didn't even deserve back then."

He sighed. "And I can't even thank her for that. She was killed in action two years ago. And the thought that I have never really said 'thank you' to her haunts me to this day. When I heard about her untimely death, I made a vow to myself to go on walking in her pawsteps. I made a vow to treat rookies the same way she treated me."

He looked down at Hopps. "And along comes a tiny bunny who was everything I was not. Valedictorian of her class, recipient of the Medal of Honor, way better than I have been at her age, far superior to me in almost every aspect, regardless of size.

"And what did I do? Did I treat her like Pam treated me? Did I show her the ropes, did I try and show her how a police officer's supposed to work? Did I show her the respect she undoubtedly deserves? Did I lead by example?

"No, I didn't. I harassed her. And right now, I'm deeply ashamed I did."

He looked at Bogo, and to his surprise, there was not even a hint of resentment in the lion's gaze. If anything, he looked sorrowful. "Yes, you told me to, but I didn't do it because of that. No, I did it because I really am just a dumb lion.

"I ignored my own vow to myself. I never gave Hopps a chance. I never looked at what she was, at who she was, at what she had done, at what she was capable of. I merely harassed her.

"Some teacher I am!

"One hour ago, Chief, I would have accepted your reassignment without thinking twice. Finally I would have gotten rid of the bunny who was way better than I had ever been, the bunny I was secretly jealous of. I actually wanted to walk into your office this morning, Chief, to ask you to be reassigned. And I actually wanted to tell Hopps about it.

"So I drove to Hopps's home this morning to talk to her. I told her why I had subjected her to harassment. I apologized for it, and I also told her that I would ask you to assign her a new partner.

"But then, the most unbelievable thing happened. You know what that is, Chief?

"She didn't jump up in joy upon hearing that she'd gotten rid of the cantankerous old lion, the guy who'd mistreated her from the get-go. No, she accepted my apology, and she forgave me. She forgave me for treating her like a pile of dirt.

"And she asked me if I was still willing to be her partner."

Delgato looked down at Hopps again, who had started smiling at one point. "She still wanted me to be the one to show her the ropes, to show her how things are done on the beat. She wanted to get used to being around a huge predator."

He looked at Bogo again. "I should never have made your opinion my own, sir! It was my mistake, granted, but you should have held her in higher esteem than you did. It's disgraceful! Hopps deserves better! She deserves to be treated with respect. Yes, she's still a rookie, and she probably still has a lot to learn. But I had way more to learn that she had back then, yet I made it. Because I had an outstanding tutor.

"So I'm going to be her tutor. I'm going to show Hopps what it means to work on the beat. I'm going to show her that the way I treated her over the last two days is not the proper way to treat a rookie. I'm going to show her the value of true partnership. I'm going to do for her what Sergeant Middendorff did for me.

"It's what Hopps asked me to do, and if it really is what she wants, who am I to contradict her? She deserves better, and I'm going to treat her better.

"And nothing you can say or do right now is going to change anything about it, sir."

He turned towards Hopps, raising his paw, holding it in front of her. "Ready to make the world a better place, Judy?"

Still smiling, Hopps got up and gave the lion a paw bump. "I was born ready, Freddie."

They walked towards the exit together, huge lion and tiny bunny, side by side. Bogo noticed that Delgato was looking in the general direction of Mastiff, who returned the gaze, smiling and nodding, before getting up himself and leaving the room along with Delgato and Hopps.

A room which was left in stunned silence. Until James Fangmeyer blurted out: "Damn! Seems like Freddie finally found his balls!"

Bogo's head whipped around to stare Fangmeyer down, and the tiger visibly deflated.

But then Bogo's features softened, and he merely looked down at the pieces of paper.

 _Probably best this way!_

"Alright, all assignments remain the same. Dismissed!"

* * *

 **Veggie Universe Restaurant, Sahara Square, Zootopia**

The African civet working behind the counter looked up at her latest customer with a frown. It wasn't every day that a lion walked into a veggie diner. Most of his species were known for giving those a wide berth, despising the mere idea of dining exclusively on salads and fruit smoothies.

Yet he was a customer.

"Good afternoon, sir," the civet said. "What may I do for you?"

"Good afternoon!" The lion nodded. "I'd like to have one medium Caesar salad, easy on the Parmesan cheese, and one tall carrot-apple-smoothie with a dash of basil, please."

It was as if life within the restaurant itself was suspended for a few seconds as every mammal in there turned their heads towards the lion.

"What?" the lion said with a hint of impatience. "My partner's a bunny, and I don't want to make her wait. So may I ask you to, please, get a move on?"

* * *

 **Over the course of the months, I have received oodles of suggestions and ideas for how my stories will unfold. This is always a joy and a pleasure, especially if it turns out that the ideas are so brilliant that I'm dying to incorporate them. But I also enjoy it if the guesses are way off, although it always pains me to tell the reviewer that the guesses are wrong. But on the whole, the number of times the reviewer hit the nail squarely on the head are negligible. But every now and then …**

 **Kudos to honeysucklecupcakes for telling me exactly why I had embarked on this particular story arc!**

 **I wrote it simply because of a part of the story as told by the movie itself. Something that really made me scratch my head, not quite believing what I had just seen.**

 **In the beginning, when Judy joins Precinct One, she's harassed. And that even is an understatement. Bogo treats her so badly, I would have loved to be able to punch him in the face - and I'm not overly prone to violence! And everybody seems to think his behavior is perfectly okay! Judy has to overcome stupendous odds to gain the respect of her peers and superiors. She has to risk life and limb, literally, to finally be considered a worthy addition to Precinct One's roster.**

 **I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds incredibly stupid. Why does Bogo feel the need to put so much pressure on Judy? It's pointless! She was valedictorian, so she would have deserved to be treated with at least as much respect as the other rookies joining the ZPD along with her- and there are several, according to Bogo. Let's face it, he should have treated her with** ** _more_** **respect than them. But the exact opposite happens. She's the only mammal to be assigned parking duty. No other rookie suffers the same fate.**

 **And when she finally makes the daring move and takes on the case of the missing Emmitt Otterton, what does Bogo do? Does he tell her to stand down, because it could be too dangerous for her, especially since she's but a rookie? Does he assign her to a seasoned veteran, telling her to watch and learn?**

 **No, he threatens to fire her!**

 **A true "** ** _Wait, what?_** **" moment, if you ask me.**

 **And when he can't, because of Bellwether's timely appearance, he even suggests a deal which Judy was sure to lose. He doesn't provide her with any assistance, any help whatsoever.**

 **What an asshole!**

 **He's basically weakening his own duty roster by putting one of his subordinates, a very promising rookie, in a no-win situation. Maybe she simply fails. Maybe this turns ugly, and the tiny bunny is crushed, literally. In any case, Precinct One would have lost an officer even before her potentially very successful career could have taken off.**

 **Does this sound smart to you?**

 **Let's face it, regardless of his qualities as a Chief, which probably are prodigious, Bogo's a world-class idiot! He's basically ignoring his own duty. Every superior has to care deeply for the health and well-being of his subordinates. (That's one of the reasons why cops usually go in pairs - they have to watch each other's backs.) If he doesn't, he's not so much a superior as an abject failure of one.**

 **It took the help of the most unlikely ally, a fox, for Judy to emerge mostly unscathed. She could easily have died, and it would have been on Bogo's conscience.**

 **Great way to do your duty, sir!**

 **Now, when Nick joins Precinct One near the end of the movie, does he experience any of this? Is he subjected to harassment? Is he forced to do menial tasks unbefitting a police officer? Is he put in a no-win situation he can only get out of by putting his life on the line?**

 **No, he's not. To the contrary. His every wish is fulfilled: He gets to team up with his favorite bunny, he isn't disrespected at all, and he's even allowed to crack a joke without Bogo going berserk because of it. And the job he's ordered to do is a far cry from doing parking duty.**

 **And all this happens despite the fact that he's a fox, that he belongs to a species held in little esteem in general.**

 **What in the blue blazes …?**

 **What has happened to Bogo? Why does he treat Nick with the respect that was so suspiciously lacking when Judy joined the ZPD?**

 **Maybe something like the stuff I wrote in the last five chapters?**

 **The idea for this particular story arc irked me for months, ever since I watched the old pictures from my time at the Bundeswehr with my wife. Because harassment of rookies, that had pretty much been the norm back then. And it had always been more than ugly.**

 **And even worse, the usefulness of said harassment is always dubious.**

 **Like I said before, I consider harassment to be completely and utterly useless. It serves no purpose other than making people miserable. You want to make someone settle in, you want to show them how things are done in the real world? Just show them how** ** _you_** **do them. Lead by example, not by bullying. You cannot learn how to do your job without being shown how your job's supposed to be done.**

 **And harassment is never a part of your job description.**

 **So, that about wraps it up for this story arc! Thanks to all of you for joining me on this joyride so far!**

 **The song Judy sings is called "Royals" by Lorde. (Written by Joel Little and Ella Yelich-O'Connor, from the album "The Love Club EP," Universal/Virgin, 2013) Her version's great, but I like the one made by Pentatonix much better. It's such a shame that Avi Kaplan decided to leave the group a few months ago. They were (and still are) such a joy to listen to!**

 **Judy would be a good ruler, don't you agree? ;-)**

 **Sergeant Middendorff is named after the Russian zoologist Alexander von Middendorff. The man who taxed the Kodiak bear, Clinton Hart Merriam, named the mammal** ** _Ursus arctos middendorffi_** **in honor of Middendorff.**

 **Now, the obligatory quotes:**

 **I hid yet another quote from Eidos Interactive's computer game "Tomb Raider: Legend" in here, completely unaltered again.**

 **There's a tiny line from the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" in here, but while searching for it, I couldn't help noticing it crops up in a lot of other movies. In other words, this should be pretty easy to find.**

 **The title of a song by Dinah Washington pops up in here. That one should also be pretty easy.**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, and please, send me your reviews! It has to be noted, however, that it'll take some time before I will be able to answer them. As soon as this chapter is published, I'm going to shut down my computer and go on a short vacation. After the craziness that has been the last months, I really need to recharge the old batteries, and my wife's feeling even worse. So don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for about two weeks. I will have my trusty smartphone with me, but since I never learned to proficiently type emails using the tiny thingy - it takes hours for me and my clumsy fingers to put together anything halfway decent -, I can read your reviews, but won't be able to answer them. Please, don't hold this against me! I would still love to hear how you like the story so far!**

 **Next stop, after the vacation: A fox's blood, toil, tears, and sweat!**

 **Until then!**

 **Take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two - Straight and Narrow

**Hello, my fellow Zootopians!**

 **It may come as a surprise to many of you, but this is the final chapter of "Wound." Everything I may have said about more upcoming chapters can now be considered obsolete.**

 **Why? Simple: The original plan for the remainder of this story was to let it segue directly into "Now Your Nightmare Comes to Life," my first story, with the last chapter of this one being a direct precursor of the first one in "Nightmare." I wanted to explain a few things I took for granted in "Nightmare," things like Nick's reconciliation with his mother, like the fate of Finnick, like the relationship between Nick and Judy's parents. Just stuff I felt like talking about.**

 **And while this is my story and I can certainly deal with it as I see fit, there was just one tiny problem:**

 **None of it is necessary.**

 **This story, as told, basically ended with chapter sixteen, with the council session and the awards for Judy and Nick. The last five chapters, for example, the Judy/Delgato angle, don't really belong to the story.**

 **Don't get me wrong, I like the angle very much and would certainly write it again. It just so happens that to understand "Nightmare" and its successor, "Hammer to Fall" (which I will finally return to in a few weeks), all the stuff simply wasn't necessary. (Maybe it would have been better if I had turned the last five chapters into a stand-alone affair.)**

 **It was pretty much the same with everything I had in store for the remainder of this story. And I had a lot in store. As a matter of fact, over the course of the last three months, I must have written close to one hundred thousand words' worth of story, only to discard everything over and over again. It didn't matter which topic I wrote about, I was never fully satisfied. It all sounded awfully self-indulgent. There was no real progress, no real character development. Every single bit of writing felt redundant and outright pointless. I was trying so hard to find closure that it never really dawned on me that none was needed. Better to simply return to "Hammer" and call it a day with this blasted thing!**

 **So I basically scrapped the whole idea of giving more explanation. There will be none. In case you want to know what has happened between "Wound" and "Nightmare," just read the latter story, it should provide you with all the explanation you need.**

 **There is just one tiny piece left unexplained so far, one character I have mentioned once and are going to use extensively in "Hammer." The guy deserves a proper introduction, so that you know what I'm talking about in that story. Just read on, you'll soon know what I mean.**

 **So here's the deal: We fast-forward a few years into the future, to early 2020, a few months before the events told in "Nightmare" take place. Both Judy and Nick are well-respected police officers, both having been promoted to Sergeant. Apart from that, everything that has transpired in the meantime can be found explained in "Nightmare."**

 **The stats - final tally - look like this: More than 31,700 views (Awesome!), 272 reviews (Awesomer!), 165 alerts (Awesomest!) and 120 favorites (Most awesomest!) Thanks to all of you!**

 **And yes, I like messing with comparatives! I just love the squiggly red line that MS Word puts under every word it doesn't know. (Yeah, I'm weird, I know!)**

 **Which goes for most of the following words, the names of all the dedicated mammals who bestowed their insight upon me: Combat Engineer, GhostWolf88, niraD, Mogor, Dirtkid123, Canadian Crow, honeysucklecupcakes, LupinTheWolf, Story. Writer. 2015, Stubat, empirebuilder1, Blyddyn, Galaxyexplorer74, poynton90, Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps, DrummerMax64, Foxlover91, Missy2.0 Frozen forever, HawkTooth, and AJ. As always, I bow down deeply in gratitude! You guys rock!**

 **Now, the obligatory quotes:**

 **DrummerMax64 (who else?) found one of them: Dinah Washington had a major hit with "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." (It was originally written in Spanish by the Mexican songwriter Maria Mendez Grever under the name "Cuando vuelva a tu lado." Stanley Adams provided the English text. The song itself was published on an album with the same name by Mercury Records in 1959.). It's what Judy thinks about the previous day. Kudos to you yet again, DrummerMax!**

 **The other quotes, however, remained elusive. Since this is the last chapter of "Wound," I am going to reveal them all now:**

 **1\. The line from the movie "A Few Good Men" in Chapter Fourteen was spoken by Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise - by the way, "Kaffee" is the German word for coffee, so I still think the name's hilarious) near the end of the movie. After the infamous verbal duel between him and Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (the always sensational Jack Nicholson), Kaffee concludes with these words: "Don't call me son. I'm a lawyer, and an officer in the United States Navy. And you're under arrest, you son of a bitch!" I gave the line to Delgato to conclude the arrest of the two tigers, slightly altered of course.**

 **2\. The line from the "Harry Potter" movie I hid in Chapter Seventeen can be found in the very first movie, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." It's when Professor Severus Snape (the late, great Alan Rickman) sees Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) for the first time: "Our new celebrity." It's how Delgato describes Judy after watching her when she returns to full duty.**

 **3\. The line from "Tomb Raider: Legend" I hid in the last chapter can be found in the cutscene preceding the England level, when Lara Croft says: "At least, it should be educational." That's what Bogo thinks about the upcoming roll call.**

 **4\. And the line from the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" is, of course, "I was born ready," spoken by Carrie aka "Frog" (Sally Field) in the movie and by Judy in the last chapter. But honestly, it crops up in so many movies, I'm really surprised nobody found it!**

 **There probably are some quotes hidden in this chapter as well, but I honestly didn't try and hide them. If you happen to find one, feel free to tell me, although there will be no more honorific mentions, seeing that this story will end here.**

 **Finally, on a private note, one of our bunnies, the buck named Findus, died after battling cancer in the meantime. (Yet another reason for the delay in publishing this chapter. Man, the year 2017 sucked, badly!) So we were left with only our dear old lady Flocke (who'll turn 9 this year, which is really old for a domesticated bunny). Since bunnies shouldn't be kept alone, we've immediately taken a new bunny into care. She's a feisty little dwarf by the name of Bella, so as of now, I'm officially in the minority in our household - three girls, one guy. Hope they don't gang up on me …**

 **The disclaimer can be found in the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

 **Straight and Narrow**

 _A dark, black past is my most valued possession._

Megadeth: "Sweating Bullets" (Written by Dave Mustaine, from the album "Countdown to Extinction," Capitol, 1992)

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Second Floor, Office Cubicles, City Center, Zootopia**

It was quite rare for someone working at Precinct One to be able to sneak up on Judy Hopps. Her outrageously good sense of hearing was stuff of legends. Therefore, Francine Pennington was deeply surprised when, after she had knocked softly at the wall of her tiny cubicle, Judy gave a visible jerk.

"What's up, Judy?" she asked. "Don't tell me you fell asleep!"

Judy gave her a somewhat sheepish grin. "I almost did."

"Quite boring when Nick's not around, eh? Where is he, by the way?"

"Oh, he asked for a few days off. He's helping his mother doing stuff."

"His mother? Didn't even know he had one."

Judy grinned. "Everybody has a mother, you know."

Francine rolled her eyes. "Wisenheimer! Didn't know his mother's still alive."

"He may be older than the two of us, but he's not that old."

"Right, but he never mentions her, so I sort-of assumed she was dead."

"You know how he is, he never mentions anything personal."

"Even with you?"

"Even with me. Keeps everything close to his chest." Judy shrugged. "I tried to get him to talk about his past for years, and while he certainly told me a lot of stories about his hustling days, he has hardly ever mentioned anything related to his family, to his childhood. Just tiny bits and pieces. Not enough to get more than a glimpse into his past. But yes, his mother's still alive, although I've never met her. She needs Nick's help for cleaning house or something. At least that's what Nick told me."

Francine nodded. "I see. So now, with him not being here, you're stuck doing paperwork."

"You're not saying!" Judy said mockingly before looking at her computer's screen and giving a sigh. "I mean, it's not like Nick doesn't deserve a few days off, but I'd rather work on the beat with him than catching up on paperwork." She made a pause. "Not necessarily my favorite pastime."

Francine grinned. "Rejoice! Your salvation is finally here!"

All tiredness seemed to leave Judy in an instant, to be replaced by joyous exuberance. "Really?"

"Yup. I need your help. Remember the case Markus and I are tackling right now?"

"You mean the string of robbed jewelry shops?"

"That's the one. Well, Clawhauser received a phone call half an hour ago. A private eye told him that he might be able to provide a bit of help on the case."

"A private eye?"

Francine nodded, making no effort to hide her disdain. Most police officers disliked private investigators on principle. The vast majority of them were a meddlesome bunch, sticking their noses in other peoples' businesses, obstructing police work in the process. "Yeah, and while I honestly don't see how this might give us a new lead in our case, the Chief thinks it's worth a shot, seeing that progress is almost non-existent so far."

"He's right. But, uhm, I don't see where I come in here. Just go over there, get his statement, and …"

"Well, and there's the catch. You see, the guy's an arctic fox by the name of Rockwell MacIntyre. He has an office in Happytown."

"Are you seriously telling me you don't wanna go there?" Judy grinned. "Afraid of foxes? Don't tell Nick if you are! To him, it'll be like Christmas came early."

"Har har. It's just, since this private eye's an arctic fox, which are even smaller than red foxes, his office is obviously fox-sized, so with me being an elephant and Markus a polar bear …"

"See, and that's why I'm always telling you that bigger isn't necessarily better." Judy closed her laptop computer and got up from her chair, stretching as she did so. "What are the details?" she added matter-of-factly.

* * *

 **Office of "MacIntyre Investigations," Happytown, Zootopia**

Even before there was a solid knock at the door leading to his office, Rocky MacIntyre had already heard a mammal approaching, a rather small one, by the sound of it. No padded paws, no hooves either. Probably some small prey mammal.

Which was surprising. Most of his clients - the few there were - were smaller predators.

"Come in! The door's unlocked," he shouted.

The door opened, and indeed, the mammal entering the room …

 _Rabbit._ Oryctolagus cuniculus. _Small mammal. Little strength in upper torso and arms, but very strong legs. Therefore excellent at running, jumping, and kicking. Superior reflexes, able to dodge all but the fastest punches. Eyesight is below average, the other senses mediocre, but sense of hearing is outstanding. Sneaking up on them difficult. In paw-to-paw combat, caution is advised. Not the greatest of punchers, but extraordinarily good at avoiding punches and kicks and very dangerous when able to deliver kicks themselves. A rabbit well-trained in the martial arts can be a serious threat._

 _Strengths: Quickness and agility, avoiding punches, kicks._

 _Weak spots: Due to their small size, virtually every part of their body._

 _This particular rabbit … female, not overly tall, but with excellent poise and stance. Very muscular for a rabbit, the muscles themselves are well-defined, so probably very strong for her size. Posture of a seasoned fighter, ready and able to deliver a flurry of punches and kicks at a moments' notice. Very dangerous opponent, if …_

Rocky shook his head, silencing the tiny voice in the back of his mind. Threat assessment was one of the first things he had learned in the Nagerian Armed Forces, and it still was one of the things he excelled at. But there were times when it was little more than an annoyance.

But sometimes, it gave him all the info he needed.

"Ah, Officer Hopps, I presume," Rocky said, getting up and walking around his office desk.

The doe stopped in her stride, looking down at her civilian clothing, a flannel shirt and blue jeans. Which was the smart thing to wear for her. With Happytown being as close to skid row as you can be in a city which, officially, had no slums, with being in a district where people were poor and crime was thriving, appearing in full uniform by your lonesome wasn't the most intelligent of moves. "You know who I am?"

"Of course. As far as I know, there are no rabbits in law enforcement, other than you." He extended his paw. "Rockwell MacIntyre, at your service."

Hopps narrowed her eyes while returning the pawshake. "Are you one of those guys who recognizes a cop when he sees one?"

"I certainly am. So, what may I do for you?" He pointed at the chair standing in front of the desk. "Please take a seat."

"Thank you, sir." Hopps jumped onto the chair, which was slightly too big for her, and sat down. "You gave us a call, saying that you wanted to make a statement."

"I did indeed. You are looking for the culprits breaking into all those jewelry shops, right?"

"That's right, yes."

"Good. I can give you both their names and their current hideout."

Hopps proceeded to take a notepad and a somewhat big pen the size and shape of a carrot out of her purse. "You do?"

"Yes. They are a trio of buffaloes."

"Buffaloes?"

"Cape buffaloes, to be more precise. Their leader is a guy named Damon Bosston. Runs a pawn shop in the Rainforest District by daylight, which he uses to sell the goods he steals during nighttime, claiming they had been sold to him, but their owners were incapable of redeeming them."

"That's why they only steal so few, but very valuable items."

"Correct. He can't sell half the contents you find in a jewelry shop, not without attracting suspicion."

"How did you learn of this?" Hopps asked, scribbling furiously.

Rocky shrugged. "In my line of work, you get around, you listen, you see. If you are attentive, you can find the most astonishing things."

"So you were working on a case yourself."

"Yes, I was, and before you ask, that job's none of your business. I offer my clients complete secrecy, so none of the cases …"

Hopps smiled. "I wasn't about to ask you about your case. It's of no concern to me, and to be honest, I couldn't care less about your work. But I wanna know how exactly you came by that information?"

"Why? So you'll know if the information can be trusted?"

On this, Hopps put down the pen and looked up. "Of course! I didn't mean to insinuate that I don't trust you."

"I know you trust foxes. Your partner's one, after all."

"How do you know?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because the two of you happen to be on the news at least once a month, lauded for having solved yet another heinous crime."

Hopps gave him a somewhat embarrassed smile. "You are exaggerating, sir."

"Am I? In the last year, you arrested no less than 182 mammals for bank heists, burglary, aggravated assault, and heaven knows how many other crimes."

"You seem to have taken a tally."

"I may have, yes."

"Why?"

Rocky just gave her a smile, opting to ignore the question. "I was visiting the aforementioned pawn shop and overheard Mr. Bosston in a conversation with another buffalo." He noticed that Hopps had started writing again. "They were talking about a really valuable ring he was about to sell to a customer. At first, I paid this little heed, but then I got to see the ring. It looked an awful lot like one of the items that have been stolen a few days earlier in a jewelry shop in Sahara Square. A gold ring, with an almost pure 3-carat diamond, three small rubies and twelve even smaller diamonds. If I remember correctly, it's an individual item and worth more money than the two of us make in ten years."

"Where did you learn about this particular item? How it looked, when and where it was stolen?"

"I've made it a habit to read the official publications made by the ZPD. Which is why I know that you and your workmates are asking the public for help finding that very ring."

"So you gave us a call?"

Rocky shook his head. "No, I paid that pawn shop another visit first. And I was armed with this." He pointed at the small camera that was lying on his desk. "And these," he pointed at a stack of small pieces of paper lying next to it, "are the pictures I took. There's a picture of the ring in there, a bit blurry, but the ring is easily identifiable. And I have pictures of the three guys. All of them are buffalos. And there's yet another interesting similarity between the three: In his youth, Mr. Bosston was an accomplished mountaineer, able to climb even the steepest cliffs with ease. And so are his colleagues. Their names are Ismail Manda and Gordan Bivol. In 2012, they came in first and third in the free climbing event at the X-Games."

"You know them?"

"I know Mr. Bosston, but I didn't know his cronies. But then I came across an old newspaper article about Bosston which told me that, apart from running the pawn shop, he has at one point been the head trainer of one of Zootopia's free climbing teams, and the article also named Manda and Bivol as his two best students. Two years ago, he was kicked out after being accused of some misdemeanor or another, and now he's in league with his students. My guess is that they simply climb the buildings to enter them on the top floor, thus circumventing the alarms. Plus, I overheard them making plans for another heist, which is about to take place tonight, at another shop in Sahara Square."

"That's spectacular news, sir," Hopps said, excitement in her voice. "Do you know where the heist is going to take place exactly?"

"Unfortunately not. But as far as I know, there are only five possibilities, five shops that fit the bill. We're looking for shops on the ground floor of apartment buildings. Since they robbed two of them already, which means that security on these shops will have tightened severely, three remain. I've added a list of all possible addresses. It's there, with the pictures."

"May I?"

"Go ahead."

She took the pictures, examining them closely. "Well, that seems to be good enough. How were you able to get that close without being seen?"

Rocky shrugged. "Professional secret."

Hopps made a face. "Why do all you foxes keep so many secrets?" she muttered, just loud enough for him to be able to hear it.

"Are you referring to your partner?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Of course I …" Hopps looked up and stared at him. "You know him?"

"I do, yes."

"How?"

"I am not at liberty to divulge that piece of information."

Hopps grunted. "That sounds like something he would have said."

"I know. He said it all the time, back in the days."

"The days of what?"

He grinned. "I am not at liberty …" He made a pause. "He's not just your partner, he's your friend, right?"

"Of course he is! We've been working together for more than two, almost three years. Of course we're friends. Best of friends actually!"

"Well, that's one thing we have - _had_ \- in common. Nick was one of my best friends for years."

"Was?"

"I haven't seen him in over five years."

"So when you gave the ZPD a call, you were hoping he'd come here?"

"I may have hoped for it, yes, but in the end, you have a crime to solve, you were asking the public for clues, with the promise of quite a substantial reward, so I'm merely fulfilling my obligations as a citizen of Zootopia."

"Hoping for said reward, right?" Hopps said, looking around.

Rocky made a face. His office was quite run-down, not seedy, but certainly not the office of a rich mammal. "You, of all mammals, should know how it is with foxes. Most mammals look down on us with disdain, so work isn't exactly flourishing. Or why do you think we are in Happytown? I simply can't afford the rents they ask for in Tundratown."

Now Hopps made a face. "Yeah, I know. Despite everything Nick's done, there still are idiots who treat him like he's absolutely useless as a cop, like he's not trustworthy at all. Then again, they also say a lot of ugly things about rabbits. Useless, weak, cute, good only at multiplying, that sort of stuff. So, yeah, I know where you come from."

Both fell silent for a few seconds. Finally, Rocky cleared his throat. "So, where is this partner of yours?"

"Oh, Nick has a few days off. He's helping his mother clean house or something, you know."

"His mother? They are on speaking terms again?"

"Uh, what are you talking about?"

Rocky made a dismissive gesture. "Forget it." He hesitated.

Hopps gave him a warm smile. "Should I give him a call? You really wanna see him again, right?"

Rocky sighed. "I do, yes."

Instead of a reply, Hopps got a cell phone out of her purse. Wiping the screen and executing a few quick inputs, she looked at the phone's camera with a grin. After a few seconds, a male voice piped up. " _Carrots! How nice of you to give me a call_."

"Hello, Slick," Hopps said with a smile. "Am I disturbing you?"

" _No, not at all. My mom just asked me to help her sift through some old stuff in her attic. Right now we're sitting in a café, sipping hot coffee and trying to make up our minds what to keep, what to donate to charity and what to throw out._ "

"What kind of stuff?"

" _Everything from kitchen appliances to clothes to porcelain figurines to furniture_."

"Anything I might be interested in?"

" _I don't think so. Most of the stuff won't fit in your apartment anyway._ "

"There really is nothing?"

" _Well, there was one old dresser which might have fit the bill, but I'm afraid that thing's FUBAR. Won a one-way trip to the dumpsite, I guess_."

"You are hauling dressers?"

" _Among other things, yes_."

"Back's hurting already?"

" _Are you kidding? I'm just getting warmed up, you know_."

"Funny," Rocky said before Hopps was able to say anything. "The Nick Wilde I knew refused to lift anything heavier than a pawpsicle."

There was silence at the other end of the line. " _Excuse me? Who are you?_ " Nick said finally.

Rocky gave a grin. "Fried potatoes blossom in blue."

"What?" Hopps said.

Rocky merely kept grinning at her, while the line was silent. Finally, after several seconds, Nick's voice piped up again - and it sounded very urgent: " _Where are you, Carrots?_ "

"Uhm, a private detective's office in Happytown, at Scarborough Lane, above the …" she hesitated. "Hello? Nick?"

"Hung up on you?" Rocky said with a smile.

Instead of an answer, Hopps returned the cell phone to her purse. "What was that about fried potatoes?"

Rocky shrugged. "I don't know if I'm out of line here, but you do know Nick quite well, right?"

Hopps shrugged as well. "As good as he allows anyone to know him. He has a lot of secrets, but I guess I know him better than most other mammals in Zootopia."

"Did he tell you what he did before joining the ZPD?"

"Yes, I know that he worked as a con artist. That's the first thing I learned about him." Hopps smiled. "During our first meeting, he hustled me into buying a jumbo pop for him which he and his buddy Finnick turned into dozens of tiny pawpsicles which he could then sell for good cash."

Rocky grinned. "Did he ever return the money?"

Hopps looked at him with a startled expression. "Actually … no, he never did. Sort of slipped our minds, I guess." Suddenly, she gave him a grin that looked somewhat dirty. "But seeing that I hustled him, too, I guess we're even."

"You hustled him?"

"Yeah, into helping me with my first case."

Rocky nodded. "Right, the Missing Mammals case, I remember. What did you do to him exactly, if I may ask?"

"I threatened him with arresting him for felony tax evasion unless he would help me solve the case."

Rocky made a frown. "How is that hustling? That's blackmail!"

"Not quite. Felony tax evasion is a federal offense, not a municipal one. Since I'm a city cop, not a federal cop, it's not my duty to pursue tax dodgers. I'm only allowed to do it when I receive such an order from my superiors or a federal agency."

"Ah. I had no idea. He didn't know it either, eh?"

"He didn't. Fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

"Clever. Really clever. So you do know what he did exactly."

"I do. And on top of hustling mammals out of their hard-earned money, he also used to work for a crime boss, but he had ended that association before I met him."

"You can call Mr. Big by name in here."

"You know him?"

"I worked for him, too. That's how Nick and I first met. And the fried potatoes line was one of the catchphrases we used when talking to each other on the phone."

"Why did you use a catchphrase?"

"Well, you can probably imagine that life on the fringes of society isn't exactly what I would call healthy. You never know if a guy whose face you rearranged a few weeks earlier might be after your blood. Since there was no such thing as MuzzleTime back then, you never knew if the guy who gave you the call was the real deal. Hence the catchphrases. Nobody would come up with phrases like 'Fried potatoes blossom in blue' or 'For little knows my royal dame that Rumpelstiltskin is my name.'"

"What the heck's a Rumpel … pumpel?"

"Rumpelstiltskin? I have no idea. Nick came up with all that stuff. I never really cared, as long as it worked. And it did. He said one of those sentences, I knew it really was him."

"You've been working together quite closely, I gather."

"I was assigned to be his bodyguard."

"Say again!"

"When Nick started working for Mr. Big, he started small, like everyone did. He was little more than one of the countless hustlers. But he was way more successful than most of the other guys working for Mr. Big, and after he had won the old shrews' confidence, he was entrusted with more significant stuff, like fetching valuable packages or delivering important messages. And whenever he was sent on one of those errands, I was assigned to be his bodyguard, since Nick knew nothing about self-defense. So, whenever Nick was sent on an important errand by Mr. Big, I was told to offer him protection. Not that it had ever been necessary, but orders are orders. Be that as it may, we spent a lot of time together. And over time, we became friends."

"If you were assigned to protect Nick, it means that you must be quite good at self-defense, right?"

"I like to think that I am, yes."

Hopps grinned. "Are you at liberty to divulge the information of how you came by your skills?"

He pointed at a picture on the wall. It showed an arctic fox in military combat gear, complete with a steel helmet, carrying an assault rifle. His almost white face was covered in camouflage face paint. He was standing next to a troop carrier, about to enter the vehicle.

Hopps nodded. "Doesn't look like the Zootopian forces."

"I'm impressed. Most people don't recognize this."

Hopps shrugged. "Met a few soldiers a couple of months ago. Their gear looked different."

"It is. Mine's from the Royal Armed Forces, Nageria."

"What did you do exactly? Sniper? Marine?"

"The latter."

"Ah. Maybe I …" she interrupted herself, ears erect and pivoting. "That was quick!"

Rocky frowned. "What do you mean?"

Before Hopps was able to answer, Rocky heard it himself - fast, yet heavy pawsteps, as if someone was in a full sprint. Merely three seconds later, the approaching mammal had reached the door, but didn't give it a knock. He simply yanked the door open.

And Nick Wilde stood in the door frame.

 _Red fox._ Vulpes vulpes _. Small mammal. Agile, able to run quite quickly and cover great distances in a jump, despite having rather short legs. Not the greatest stamina, prefer sneaking up on opponents. Excellent eyesight, good sense of hearing, good sense of smell …_

Rocky shook his head to silence the voice, then he took in the looks of his old friend.

The changes he saw in Nick were nothing short of astounding. The red fox had gained a considerable amount of weight, and in muscles only. And his more muscular frame had changed his posture completely. Gone was the slouching, to be replaced with alertness, with battle-readiness. The changes were so dramatic, only Nick's face indicated that he was still the same mammal he'd met all those years ago.

In earlier years, Rocky had always maintained that even a wet blanket would be able to wrestle Nick to the ground.

Now he wasn't sure if even a battle-hardened wolf could do the trick.

"That was quick," Hopps said. "Where've you been?"

"Oh, we were sitting in that little café near Hickory Fields. Mom loves that place. We've been there all the time when I was a cub. I grew up in Happytown after all, Carrots."

"Wait, that's where that car repair shop is, right? That's more than a mile, Nick."

"Yeah. So?"

"That's fast!"

Rocky couldn't help feeling impressed. Nick had obviously covered the distance to his office at a full sprint, yet he wasn't out of breath, not even remotely.

Nick walked into the office slowly, looking at Rocky as if he had seen a ghost. "I really thought you were dead, that someone had finally offed you."

Rocky got up from his chair. "And hello to you, too, old buddy!"

Nick walked around the desk and flung his arms around Rocky. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"The feeling's mutual, Nick," Rocky said, returning the embrace.

For a few seconds, they stood in their embrace, then Nick took a few steps back. "Damn! Where've you been? Last I heard, you were on the run from Mr. Big!"

"I was. But we buried the hatchet."

Suddenly, Rocky heard someone clear his throat. "What happened?" Hopps asked.

Rocky looked at the bunny and shrugged. "Everything fell apart, that's what happened."

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"You had your falling-out with Mr. Big, and guess who was dispatched to teach you a lesson?"

Nick made a pause. "So how comes that I didn't end up in hospital in the shape of a pretzel?"

Rocky raised an eyebrow. "Do you really need to ask, brother?"

Nick made a face. "Bet Mr. Big didn't like that?"

"Not one bit. Sent Kevin and Raymond after me. And afterwards, I had to disappear."

"Wait a second!" Hopps shouted. "You were attacked by two polar bears?"

"You know them?" Rocky asked.

"We've met, yes. How did you manage to get out of that?"

Nick guffawed. "That was a walk in the park for him, Carrots, believe me! You ever heard the name Arctic Fire?"

"Uh, no. You sound like I should have."

Nick heaved a sigh. "I keep forgetting you didn't grow up here, Fluff. This mammal here," he pointed at Rocky, "took down a rhino, a tiger, and three horses at the same time without breaking a sweat. You consider yourself to be a great fighter, Carrots? Wait until you've seen him in action."

Rocky looked down at Hopps. He had already decided that she would probably be able to hold her ground in a fight, still … "A great fighter?"

"You are talking to the defending ZPD MMA champion," Nick said. "Won two titles in a row, after being runner-up in her first year. At Precinct One, she's undefeated so far."

Rocky nodded. "To be honest, I'm not surprised. You have the stance of a seasoned fighter." He gave a slight bow. "Truth be told, I would love to pit my skills against yours."

Hopps gave a grin. "You're on! There's a gym nearby, you know."

Rocky had to laugh at that. "And eager, too."

"You have no idea," Nick said.

"Such a bother, eh?"

"Rather the opposite. Her eagerness has saved my hide several times. I wouldn't wanna change anything about it any time soon. She's my partner, my best buddy, the reason I'm a cop and no longer hustling mammals. And before you ask, I wouldn't want it any other way."

"You remember when Mr. Big told you that you were no hustler? Seems like he was right."

Nick shrugged. "You know what? He was. I never was a true hustler. I always wanted to do good, I always wanted to help people. Sadly, people gave me no chance. You know what that feels like, don't you?"

"I do indeed." Rocky looked at Hopps again. "And it took a bunny to make you see the error of your ways?"

Nick grinned. "Stranger things have happened." He looked around. "So, private eye?"

"Yup. After Mr. Big and I cleared the air, he offered me another shot, but I declined. Seeing that you were on the straight and narrow, I honestly didn't want to return to my old ways either. So I tried my luck at honest work. Took some time, but I finally found this place and opened my own detective agency."

"Does it pay the bills?"

"It does, barely. The rent is small, fortunately, otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep on doing this."

"Same old story?"

"Same old story, yes."

Nick gave him a smile. "You know, I think I have something better for you."

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Office of the Chief of Police, City Center, Zootopia**

Adrian Bogo was just in the process of signing the last report when there was a knock at the door. "Enter!" he shouted.

The mammal who entered the room was among the last ones he'd expected to appear, particularly not in that garb. "Wilde? Since when do you come to your workplace on a day off?"

Nick Wilde approached the desk, one of his legendary smirks on his face. He was wearing a blue coverall, a far cry from his usual civilian clothes which, as far as Bogo was concerned, were little more than an eyesore. He held several files in one of his paws. "How about we start this conversation with a nice 'Good afternoon?'"

Bogo made a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, yeah! Get to the point!"

"Busy?"

Bogo looked down at his desktop, which, at this point, was almost empty. "I have a few minutes to spare, if that's what you want to know."

"Great. I may have to ask you a favor."

"A favor? Do you need my help?" He pointed at the chair in front of his desk.

"Oh no, not me. An old friend of mine." Wilde placed the files onto the desktop and climbed into the chair.

"A friend of yours? Back from your hustling days?"

"Exactly." He reached into the breast pocket to produce a photo which he gave to Bogo.

Bogo looked at the picture. "I never imagined you being friends with a soldier."

"Yeah, weird, right? Chief, meet Sergeant Rockwell Alexander MacIntyre, Her Majesty's Armed Forces, Nageria, Naval Infantry."

"A marine?"

"Yes. One of the best."

"Ah. I take it he's no longer a soldier."

"No, that picture was taken more than ten years ago. That was the time when everything was still peachy." Wilde made a pause. "For you to understand what I want to ask you to do, I need to tell you first what you're dealing with, sir."

"Alright, if it doesn't take to long."

"I'll try to be brief. Rocky's from old military stock. Most of his ancestors picked up the rifle and swore the oath of service. But since Nageria and Zootopia aren't all that different, they were facing the same prejudices foxes are facing here. So none of his ancestors ever made it above Private First Class.

"Rocky did. He simply was a natural. Not only was he good enough to become a marine, he was so good that his Lieutenant, who had taken a liking to him, suggested him for a special training program, instigated by the government, which was aimed at creating some sort of super soldier. The program ultimately folded, because the results were lackluster. They wanted the ultimate leaders, they got the ultimate followers. But those followers, they were something. Rocky was one of them. His skills became absolutely astonishing. So astonishing that his superiors made him a Sergeant after less than two years. He was one of the youngest Sergeants in history, and the first fox in the Nagerian Armed Forces to become one. He was given a platoon to lead, and he and his platoon soon excelled at everything they did."

"Didn't you just say that program didn't produce leaders?"

"Yes, I did. His platoon didn't excel because Rocky was a great leader. He's the first one to admit that he isn't, he told me so himself. All he could do was lead by example, but that example was so good, his subordinates improved almost automatically. The company he was a member of already had an outstanding reputation, but the third platoon was its _pièce de résistance_. You needed success at all costs, they were the guys who were dispatched to solve the problem. And they were always successful.

"This success created envy, especially among several of his so-called comrades who had hoped to get the spot he had been given. He had been promoted ahead of them, so they were jealous. And of course they didn't like foxes all that much, like so many mammals on this planet. So, after a get-together, probably beer-fueled, they decided to teach him a lesson. Five guys. Two antelopes, two rhinos, one hippo.

"They ambushed him, probably just to give him a good beating. What they didn't count on was that Rocky would defend himself. And defend himself he did. He broke both arms of one of the rhinos and blinded one of the antelopes on one eye. That's when one of the other guys, Rocky thinks it was the hippo, but he can't remember clearly, produced a knife to leave a more permanent message."

Wilde made a pause, allowing Bogo to say: "So now he's a cripple and needs money …"

"He won the fight."

"He did?"

"Rocky was stabbed five times, still he won. Spent two months in hospital afterwards. But the guys who attacked him, they had gotten the really short end of the stick. None of them was fit for duty anymore, unlike Rocky, who recovered completely."

"Impressive."

"Yeah. But that's when things took a nasty turn. The moment he left the hospital, he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and attempted mammalslaughter."

"Wait a second! He was attacked, he defended himself, and _he_ was arrested? Not the other guys?"

"No. There were no eye witnesses - it all took place in the dead of night, and the guys attacking him had taken great care to not let anyone see what was going on. So they were able to gang up on him again, accusing him of having attacked them."

"That's ridiculous!"

"I'm glad that you see it that way. His garrison commander, however, had a different opinion. Even when nobody was able to give proof that Rocky had attacked first, the commander, a zebra, obviously had it in for him. To him, Rocky was obviously guilty by default. His other superiors, especially the Lieutenant I mentioned earlier, who held Rocky in much higher esteem, thought otherwise, but it didn't matter. As the garrison commander, the zebra trumped them all. Despite the fact that every accusation crumbled under closer inspection, he still gave Rocky a dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming a Nagerian marine. On a side note, the guys who attacked him got away scot-free, apart from the fact that their military careers were over as well. They were never even charged with any crime."

"That's an outrage!" Bogo thundered.

"It is. Can you imagine what Rocky did next?"

"I'm guessing he went for revenge."

"He did. But not on the guys who attacked him."

Bogo sat up straighter. "He went after the commander?"

"He did. Put him in a wheelchair. Broke his back to the point of being beyond healing. The guy ended up a paraplegic."

"Which made your friend a fugitive."

"Sorry, wrong again, Chief. After he had beaten the zebra to a pulp, he patiently waited next to the poor sod for the military police to arrive and arrest him."

"What? Why?"

Nick shrugged. "Because that's what good soldiers do. If they commit a crime, they admit to it and await their just punishment. The ZPD has similar rules, right?"

"It sure has. So he was arrested and convicted."

"Twelve years in the pen."

Bogo leaned back in his chair. "I hope you don't mind me saying that he deserved it."

"I agree. What he did, that was absolutely inexcusable. The thing had simply infuriated him, and in his fury, he made a major mistake. He says so himself, I was actually quoting him here. Even now, some ten years later, he still regrets it. While beating the guy up, he simply got carried away. He wanted to harm the guy, yes, but he never intended to put him in a wheelchair."

Bogo heaved a sigh. "Like I always say, don't let your emotions get the better of you."

Wilde gave him a grin. "I actually never heard you say this."

"Because you never gave me any reason to. Like _you_ always say, never let them see that they get to you. You have kept your cool under the most precarious circumstances. So why should I have told you to keep your emotions in check? You are better at it than me anyway."

"Why, thank you, Chief! Anyway, so Rocky went to prison and would have stayed there until, well, he would probably still be in prison."

"What happened?"

"An arctic shrew happened, an arctic shrew you know quite well, I think."

Bogo snorted. His dislike for crime bosses was almost proverbial. When asked about his single deepest regret, he invariably said that being unable to put all the crime bosses thriving in Zootopia behind bars was his. "Let me guess, Mr. Big gave them a heap of cash, and all charges were dropped."

"Something like that. One of the girls working for him was from Nageria, and she'd heard the whole, sad story and told it to Mr. Big. Who sensed an opportunity immediately. So he made sure Rocky would be released, and he invited him over to Zootopia, into his home, treating him like a king. After a few days of pampering Rocky, he made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"And so the former marine became Mr. Big's most trusted enforcer."

"An arctic fox." Bogo looked at the picture again. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"You ever heard the name Arctic Fire?"

"Of course I …" Bogo made a pause. "This … _this is Arctic Fire?!_ "

"In the flesh."

" _An arctic fox?_ "

"An arctic fox he is, yes."

"How … how is that possible? He put way more than one hundred mammals in hospital! Rhinos, horses, tigers, lions … how did he do that?"

Wilde grinned. "He's just that good." He became serious again. "His training has turned him into the best soldier you can possibly imagine. His skills in paw-to-paw combat are unrivaled, he's an expert marksmammal, …"

"Better than you?"

Wilde snorted. "I can hit a fly at one hundred paces. Rocky can hit a fly's _legs_ at one hundred paces. And he's a master infiltrator. If he doesn't want to be found, you won't find him if he's sitting under your very nose. He can sneak in undetected, take out the target, and get away undetected. All you end up with is an unconscious victim and a lot of questions."

Bogo looked at the picture again. "I still don't believe it."

"Nobody does. I didn't either, when I first met him. He simply doesn't look that dangerous, and when you meet him on the street, he's just the nicest, funniest guy on this planet. But once he enters a fight, it's like a switch is flicked. He turns into a machine, I have no other words for it. He certainly isn't the biggest or strongest mammal on this planet - heck, he's smaller than me -, but he's so fast, so ferocious, so precise, most of his opponents merely catch a glimpse at him before they collapse in an unconscious heap. He has an extensive knowledge of strengths and weaknesses of other mammals, so he knows exactly where to strike, how hard to strike, how to move to avoid attacks. With him, fighting turns into an art form. It simply doesn't matter how skilled, how strong, how big they are. He simply takes them out, just like that." Nick snapped his digits to illustrate the quickness of execution. "And I should know, I watched him do it countless times."

"Is he as good as Hopps?"

"Better." He made a pause. "I can't believe I just said that."

Bogo allowed himself a grin. "You better not let Hopps hear that one."

"Oh, they're already talking about pitting their skills against each other."

"This is a fight I have to see."

"You and everybody else, I guess."

"Is he still working for Mr. Big? Does he need our help to find his way out?"

"No, he stopped working for Mr. Big long ago. About the same time I had my … misadventure with Mr. Big."

"Don't tell me you had something to do with it."

"I have, albeit indirectly. You know, Rocky fulfilled several tasks during his time with Mr. Big. He was one of his personal bodyguards. The one nobody even recognized as such. While everybody saw the polar bears and considered them to be the threat, nobody even noticed the small arctic fox waiting in the shadows. He was, in a manner of speaking, the last line of defense in case everything else failed. During his time with Mr. Big, he, personally, thwarted three assassination attempts. You can imagine how grateful Mr. Big was.

"This bodyguard job was sometimes extended on other mammals. I was one of them. Whenever I was on an important errand, Rocky protected me. Not that it had ever been necessary, but Mr. Big deemed it prudent, and we certainly didn't contradict him. Particularly after we had found out that we liked each other very much. He became the brother I never had. We did lots of stuff together, for Mr. Big and on our own. He was my closest friend by far and away. We were so different, yet so alike. I loved him to death, and I know for a fact that he would gladly have given his life for me."

Wilde made a pause and cleared his throat. "Yet another job he did for Mr. Big was that of an enforcer. Someone disappointed the old shrew, he was dispatched to beat some sense into the mammal. He would sneak in, beat the culprit senseless, leave a note, and vanish again. After a while, it became so boring to him, so little of a challenge, that he started taunting his victims from his vantage point before finally attacking them. That's how he garnered his reputation. He alerted his victims to his presence, to the fact that they were about to be attacked, only to prove that this was not to their advantage."

"I'm starting to sense where this is heading," Bogo said softly.

"Obvious, isn't it? When I had disappointed Mr. Big, he was sent to teach me a lesson. And he found me, despite my best efforts to stay out of sight. Yet another one of his countless skills: You weren't able to hide from him. No matter where you went, he found you. He always found his mark.

"But after he had found me, after he was prepared to give me the beating I may have deserved, he found out to his dismay that he wasn't able to pull the trigger."

"He was supposed to kill you?"

"Of course not! It was just a figure of speech." Wilde made another pause. "I was his only friend, the only guy, apart from Mr. Big, who had always treated him with respect. Apart from me, he had nobody. And he found out that he simply wasn't able to attack me.

"So he returned to Mr. Big and told him about his failure, just as he had waited next to the commander he had beaten up. As you can probably imagine, Mr. Big didn't take too kindly to hearing that kind of unwelcome news. So he sicced two of his polar bears on him."

"Which he took out."

"And with ease at that. Afterwards, he went into hiding, and no matter how hard Mr. Big tried to find him, Rocky had simply vanished. Most people thought he was dead, me included.

"And then the Missing Mammals case happened, and I made amends with Mr. Big, sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of?"

Wilde shrugged. "Mr. Big doesn't seem to consider me an enemy anymore, but he never told me that I was in his good graces again either. We've buried the hatchet, nothing more, nothing less. And that's okay, I can live with that. Especially since my current line of work doesn't agree with his.

"Anyway, once Mr. Big and I had cleared the air, he sent out feelers for Rocky. When Rocky learned of this, he went to Mr. Big, who apologized to him and offered him his old job again. But Rocky declined the offer."

"He did? Why?"

"Because of me. I had just entered the ZPA, I was on my way to become a cop, and he thought that maybe he should take the hint. He left Mr. Big and did so on good terms, then he opened his own detective agency. Trying to put all his skills at finding mammals to good use. Staying on the good side of the law this time."

"Let me guess, it doesn't really pay the bills, right?"

"It doesn't. He still is a fox, he still is disrespected by many mammals, so jobs are scarce. He makes a living, barely. Which is a pity, because he can be so much more." Wilde leaned back in his chair. "He could be an outstanding police officer."

"You think so?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't."

"Does he have a criminal record?"

"No. I just read his file." He pointed at the files on the desk. "It's empty. Not even a traffic violation. And while it's mentioned that he is a former marine, you won't find anything related to his dishonorable discharge, his arrest or his conviction. Mr. Big took care of that, I guess."

"So as far as the ZPD knows, he's just an honest, hard-working mammal with a military background and skills we could put to good use in our TUSK team."

"Exactly. Imagine a bank heist. The whole place is surrounded, the perps have nowhere to go, but they've taken hostages. You send in Rocky, he somehow sneaks in, and ten minutes later you receive the 'all clear.'"

"You think he could do it?"

"Blindfolded."

Bogo made a pause. "Why do they call him Arctic Fire? I mean, I understand the 'arctic' part, but 'fire?'"

"Well, he has something of a temper. Remember the attack on his commander. He was pissed off, so he went on a rampage. "

"Is he safe to work with? I don't want a powder keg with a lit fuse on my roster."

"You won't get one. He's not unstable by any means, rather the opposite. He's good at keeping his temper in check, and it isn't easy to provoke him. However, if you manage to do it, if you really piss him off, you should give him a wide berth afterwards. His temper _will_ get the better of him. And if that's the case, pain ensues. But as long as you don't give him any reason to lose his temper, he's the nicest guy you can possibly imagine."

"So you vouch for him."

"That goes without saying, sir."

"Where is he?"

"Oh, he's waiting down in the lobby with Judy."

"Ah. He's the private eye who wanted to give us a lead on the robbed jewelry shops?"

"Not only that. He basically solved the case."

"Really?"

"Yep." Nick pointed at the files again. "A buffalo by the name of Damon Bosston and two cronies, also buffaloes."

"Bosston? Doesn't he run a pawn shop in Rainforest District?"

"He does. That's where he sells the stolen goods. You can find more on him and his two henchmammals in the files. Including information on how they may have entered the buildings. Rocky believes they have been scaling the walls, entered the buildings via one of the top floors and made it down into the shops proper."

"Without triggering the alarm."

"Correct."

"A buffalo scaling the wall of a building?"

"Bosston was an expert mountaineer in his youth, and his two cronies won several free climbing contests."

"I see. Well, I guess a trip to Bosston's pawn shop is in order."

Wilde shook his head. "According to Rocky, they're planning another heist tonight, somewhere in Sahara Square. Pennington and Grizzoli are currently setting up teams to catch them in the act."

Bogo nodded in approval. "Excellent. Could you please ask your friend to come up here? I would like to meet the mammal in person."

"Of course, Chief!" Wilde got up and left the office.

* * *

 **ZPD Precinct One Headquarters, Lobby, City Center, Zootopia**

With half-closed eyes, Rocky watched the turmoil around him. At least two dozen police officers of all shapes and sizes were bustling about, deeply engrossed in their daily work. A few civilians were begging for attention as well, bombarding the chubby cheetah behind the receptionists' counter with questions. "Is it always this crowded here?" he asked Hopps, who was sitting next to him on one of the benches adorning the lobby.

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. This seems to be quite a busy day," the doe replied.

"I can't help but notice that Nick and you seem to be the only small mammals around."

"Oh, there are a few more now. But most of them work in administration, although a coati became a beat cop recently. Plus there's a bunny who'll enter the ZPA soon."

"A bunny?"

"Yes. I know her since high school. She's a few years younger than me. She's from Bunnyburrow, too."

"Interesting. So you set a good example."

"I'm trying to."

Rocky looked down at her with a smile. "When considering all the arrests you made, you seem to be doing a great job."

"Thank you! Nick's a tremendous help."

"Of course he is! Always was. Among hustlers, he was the Good Samaritan. Always helpful, always supportive. You had a problem, Nick was there to help you." Rocky looked around. "Yeah, I guess he fits in well here."

"You knew he'd succeed as a cop?"

"I was fairly certain, yes. When I heard he'd become a cop, my only thought was: Good thing I'm on the right side of the law now. Wouldn't want to face him."

"Why did you never try and meet him?"

Rocky hesitated. "You know, that's a really good question, Judy … may I call you Judy?"

Hopps smiled. "Only if I may call you Rockwell."

"I like Rocky better."

"Okay. Rocky it is."

"Deal." Rocky made a pause. "I don't know. I had started a new life, I had broken with my previous life of crime completely. Guess I thought that included him."

"That's a real pity. You two seem to be the greatest of friends."

"And you two seem to be the greatest of partners."

Instead of an answer, Hopps opened her purse to pull out her phone. Making a few entries, she held it up for Rocky to see the picture. It was a photo that somebody had obviously taken in this very lobby, showing a rhino lying on his stomach, obviously out cold. Another rhino and a lion were standing next to the rhino, both clad in the uniform of a police officer. So were Nick and Hopps, who were standing side by side on the rhino's massive back. Their posture was highly peculiar. While Hopps was standing upright, her ears were bent down. That was because Nick had put his arm on her head, using her as a support to lean into her in a most nonchalant manner. They were both grinning. The picture even had a caption - somebody had written "WildeHopps strikes again!" over the empty space below the rhino. "Ben took the picture," she said in explanation, pointing at the chubby cheetah standing behind the receptionist's desk. "After we had brought in the rhino drug trafficker, he came up with the idea, and this is what we ended up with."

"WildeHopps?"

"Yeah. It's what most guys in here call us. Like we are a single entity."

"You can't have one without the other, eh?"

"Something like that." She put the phone into her purse again. "We've been partners since Day One, and apart from a few weeks where we were teaming up with other officers, we've been partners ever since. On duty as well as in private life. As a matter of fact, we spend a lot of our free time together."

Rocky grinned. "Sounds like him and me, some eight years ago."

Hopps smiled. "Good memories, eh?"

"Good memories. He was the best friend I can possibly imagine."

"That he is. And speak of the devil …"

Rocky looked up to see Nick approaching, a wide grin on his muzzle. "Come on, Rocky! The Chief wants to meet you."

Rocky nodded and got up, along with Hopps. They ascended the stairs and walked towards a nondescript door simply bearing the words "Chief Bogo" on the pane of glass. Wilde gave the door a knock, and immediately, an immensely loud voice shouted: "Enter!" They entered the room, and Rocky got a glimpse at the Chief of Police for the first …

 _Cape buffalo._ Syncerus caffer caffer _. Large mammal. High physical strength, particularly in the arms. The legs are somewhat weaker. Eyesight is …_

 _SHUT UP!_

The buffalo rose from his chair, towering over Rocky, Nick, and Hopps. "I am Chief Adrian Bogo. Welcome to the ZPD, Mr. MacIntyre. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, sir." For a fleeting second, Rocky felt like a meek recruit again. Bogo exuded superiority merely through his presence. The air of command around him was almost palpable.

While Rocky sat down on the chair, Bogo turned towards Nick and Hopps. "I would like to speak to Mr. MacIntyre in private."

"Of course, Chief," Hopps said immediately and turned to leave. When Nick didn't follow her on the spot, she lunged for his tail and pulled him after her, which elicited a slight yelp from Nick. To Rocky's surprise, Nick didn't react violently to this kind of mistreatment, but merely turned around and left the room with Hopps.

 _No fox in his right mind will ever let another mammal touch his tail, unless it's a vixen he's madly in love with. Yet Nick was okay with her pulling his tail._

 _I guess calling them best friends is the mother of all understatements._

He looked back at Bogo who was sitting behind his desk again, still towering over Rocky. What Hopps had done to Nick seemed to be something of a normal occurrence between them, because the Chief hadn't reacted to their actions in any way, shape, or form. He was all business. "It is my understanding that you want to join the ZPD," he said matter-of-factly.

Rocky carefully waited a few seconds before answering. Of course Nick had told him where he had wanted to take him, and why. And it had taken Rocky basically no time at all to make up his mind. Not wanting to appear over-eager, however, he had decided not to tell Bogo about it, yet. "To be perfectly honest, sir, I don't really know."

"What do you mean?"

"This was Nick's idea. He brought me here, telling me that I'm wasting my talents working as a private investigator. Until he told me, half an hour ago maybe, I never entertained ideas of joining the ZPD. So excuse me, sir, but this is all a bit sudden for me."

"I understand. Wilde is known for acting on impulse, but his impulses are usually very good." Bogo made a pause. "He told me of your accomplishments. And to be honest, I didn't believe him."

Rocky had no idea how to respond to that, but it seemed like Bogo hadn't expected an answer anyway, for he picked up a file from his desk and started reading it. After about two minutes of the most pregnant silence Rocky had ever had to experience, Bogo spoke up again. "And nothing in this file indicates that anything of it is true."

"This is my file?"

"It is."

Before he was able to stop himself, Rocky blurted out: "So you think Nick lied to you?"

"No, I believe him. He may be a jokester who likes to poke fun at all and sundry, but Wilde has always been completely honest with me. Many mammals tend to believe that foxes are sneaky and untrustworthy. Wilde's the living proof that this is nothing but prejudiced, speciesist bullshit. He has proven his trustworthiness over and over again. He gave me a thorough account of his own accomplishments, for example, even the most sordid, embarrassing details. So if he tells me something, I can always, and safely, assume that it is indeed the truth and nothing but the truth." He made another pause. "I would never mistrust his judgment, as I know it is always good and based on solid facts. Still, I just find it hard to believe that a tiny arctic fox was the bane of criminals all over Zootopia."

Rocky shrugged. "I was trained to be a lethal weapon, sir."

"Could you take me down?"

"Excuse me?"

"Could you take me down?" Bogo repeated.

"I would never dare to attack a police officer, much less the Chief of Police, sir."

"Noted. But if I wasn't, if I was just another target you were assigned to take down, would you be able to do it?"

Rocky hesitated. Not that he didn't want to answer the question, he simply couldn't. He had never had to face a cape buffalo before. Through his abilities at threat assessment, he knew that cape buffaloes were notoriously difficult opponents, notoriously hard to take down, notoriously dangerous when attacking themselves. But that was where his knowledge ended. "I really can't say, Chief. I never had to take down a cape buffalo, so I honestly can't answer the question."

"But you certainly faced other mammals like lions and elephants?"

"Yes, I did, both lions and elephants actually."

"And you took them down."

"I did."

"So everything they say about Arctic Fire is true."

"What do _they_ say, sir?"

"They say, for instance, that he took down two armed tigers in less than five seconds."

"Who said that?"

"One of my officers, Sergeant Frederick Delgato. He claims that he met you during the protests after the Savage Predators case had been solved. He also claims that he hadn't taken out the tigers, but a tiny arctic fox who'd moved faster than his own shadow." When Rocky opened his mouth to say something, Bogo raised his hoof. "That's not what you'll find in the official report, of course. He told me himself, months later. Me and some of our workmates. But nobody believed him."

Rocky had to rack his brain. "That Sergeant of yours, he's a lion?"

"That he is."

"I remember. I was on the run back then …"

"From Mr. Big."

"Nick told you?"

"He did. He basically told me the whole story of your life. Lots of illicit activities." He looked down at the file. "Yet none of them show up here, not even your time in jail. But we both know that Mr. Big's probably responsible for this. In other words, this file is useless." He tossed it onto the desk again.

Rocky raised an eyebrow, not knowing where this was heading. "So?"

Bogo leaned forward, fixing his stare on Rocky. "I know that you're guilty of numerous cases of aggravated assault and battery, maybe even of attempted mammalslaughter."

"So you want to arrest me."

Bogo snorted. "Don't be silly! Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I wouldn't be able to. There is no proof. So I have to assume that you are an honest, hard-working citizen living on the right side of the law. And if I have to do it, everybody has."

"Sir?"

"If everybody keeps his mouth shut, nobody will be any the wiser. Which in turn means that your application to the ZPA would be accepted without compunction, despite your age. Most cadets enter the ZPA directly after having graduated from high school or college, not after they have turned 35."

"Nick was 32."

"Exactly. In the end, it's not the age that matters, it's what you can do. And if it really is true what Wilde told me, if you really are that capable a fighter, you could certainly excel here. So I'm asking you: Do you want to apply to the ZPA?" He made a pause. "And if you do, let it be known to you that you have my full support. I trust Wilde's judgment, and he trusts you."

Rocky took a deep breath. "How long do I have to make that decision?"

"Two weeks. That's the deadline for applications for the upcoming class."

"You wouldn't mind if I'm taking those two weeks, sir?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind. I'm telling you the exact same thing I told your friend when he applied to the ZPA: The ZPD demands full commitment. You either do this and walk the full mile, or you leave it be. There is no middle ground. You either make it, or somebody will break you." He made another pause. "If you haven't made up your mind yet, you won't be able to persevere. So, take your time. I don't need to hear your 'yes' immediately. But the moment I hear that 'yes,' I expect full commitment. If you have doubts, you will fail. So, consult your pillow for a few days, and after you've made up your mind, come back here and tell me your decision. Even if the answer is 'no.' I'd much rather hear an honest 'no' than a half-assed 'yes.'"

"That's … good to hear, sir."

Bogo nodded. "No pressure. It's your life, your decision. But if you make said decision, you have to stand by it through hell and high water."

"Of course."

"Good. You have any questions? If not, I have an ambush to prepare."

"You are going after Bosston and his cronies?"

"We are. And by the way, thank you for your cooperation."

"You're welcome." Rocky got up from his chair. "Thank you for taking the time to talk me through this, sir."

For the first time since Rocky had entered the office, Bogo gave him a smile. " _You_ are welcome."

"Good day to you, sir."

"Likewise."

* * *

 **Outside of "Wambui's Jewelry Shop," Sahara Square, Zootopia**

They arrived separately within the time span of four minutes, three tall cape buffaloes, armed with a grappling hook attached to a long rope and wearing special climbing shoes over their hooves. After having examined the area during the daylight hours, they knew exactly where the traffic surveillance cameras were situated, and they managed to keep out of their direct angles of view. But even if they hadn't, the cameras wouldn't have been able to pick up much, for they were dressed in black, and along with their dark coat of fur, they were virtually invisible to all but the keenest eyes. Shortly after their arrival, one of them threw the grappling hook onto the roof of the building. The first two attempts failed, but after the third throw, the hook found purchase, and the three large mammals soon started to climb the wall with astonishing swiftness, considering their size.

They were completely unaware that their performance was closely watched by quite a lot of mammals.

In a dark alley opposite the jewelry shop, no less than seven police officers were watching the heist, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, the perfect moment to catch the culprits in the act.

Little did _they_ know that they were, in turn, also being watched by a pair of bright eyes.

High above the cops, Rocky MacIntyre was sitting on a window sill which may have seemed small when looking at it from street level, but was spacious enough for him to sit upon without any difficulties whatsoever. He had arrived much earlier, waiting for events to unfold. Now, after more than three hours of sitting in a crouched position, so high above the ground that the height alone would have made most mammals feel decidedly dizzy, he slowly started to move his legs to encourage the blood circulation again - he needed his legs to be fully functional.

After all, he had a gift to prepare.

He was secretly glad that the mammal he wanted to give the gift to was also present. Not that he had counted on it - it probably was highly unusual for a Chief of Police to go into the think of things. Then again, during their conversation, Bogo had left the impression of being a mammal of action, not a superior officer who lets his subordinates do the dirty work while he sits on a bench, munching a donut. On top of that, they were facing three cape buffaloes, considered to be among the most dangerous mammals in existence. Maybe he had thought that with him being a cape buffalo himself, their odds would improve.

When it came to the officers who had accompanied him, he had certainly gone for size. Rocky saw one elephant and one polar bear, one tiger and one lion. And two small mammals who seemed ill-fitting among all those massive officers. Yet one of them in particular seemed to be at the very center of attention.

Despite the fact that Nick Wilde was officially on leave, he had obviously volunteered to help taking down the three burglars. No real surprise there - the other small mammal was Judy Hopps, and since they seemed to be joined at the hip, he had probably seen no other choice but to come along when she had volunteered. Right now, Nick was watching the proceedings through the binoculars. Since his eyesight was excellent, even when the lights were low, he was the one to provide the other officers with information on what was going on, talking so softly that Rocky wasn't able to hear anything.

Not that he needed to. Possessing excellent eyesight himself, he had no difficulties following the ascent of the three huge mammals. The first of them, Bosston himself, used a switchblade to open a window on the fifth floor. With extraordinary dexterity, he managed to open the window in less than three seconds, despite the fact that he was only able to use one hoof, since the other one was holding to the rope. Less than ten seconds later, all three mammals had climbed through the window and disappeared in the darkened building. All in all, it was an outstanding display of agility and efficiency.

For the last time, Rocky checked his gear, his grappling hook, the rope, the grappling gloves, the combat boots. It had felt strange to put on that gear again, after more than three years of having not even looked at it. Arctic Fire had, for all intents and purposes, died the night he had left Mr. Big's mansion for the final time. He had never thought he'd feel the urge to reanimate the character.

But after what he had gotten to experience a few hours earlier, he had done so gladly.

Nick's initial suggestion to apply to the ZPA had come as a surprise to Rocky. He had never imagined himself to ever wear the badge, to ever try and uphold law and order. With his more than shady past, he had been absolutely sure that nobody would want him anywhere near the ZPA.

The again, Nick was a former hustler, whose antics obviously were quite well-known - both Judy Hopps and Chief Bogo seemed to possess quite an intimate knowledge of Nick's accomplishments as a hustler. And yet he had become valedictorian of his class and an immensely successful and highly decorated police officer.

As well as a highly respected one.

That had been the biggest surprise yet: After he had left Bogo's office, he had met Nick and his friend Judy again. Instead of taking him to the exit to say their farewells, the two had proceeded to introduce him to a few of their coworkers: Benjamin Clawhauser, the cheetah working at Dispatch, a lioness named Suzanne Sarabi, who worked at Service of Supply, Thomas Higgins, who was a hippo and Bogo's orderly, a massive rhino named Brian McHorn and an even bigger female elephant named Francine Pennington.

And each of those mammals had treated Rocky with genuine cordiality. Simply because he was a friend of Nick, whom they all held in the highest esteem imaginable.

All his life, Rocky had always had to fight an uphill battle for respect. Despite his successes as a marine in the Royal Nagerian Armed Forces, he had always been shunned and disrespected, even by his own subordinates. The mammals who had supported him had been few and far between.

It had pretty much been the same story during his stint with Mr. Big. Of course the shrew had treated him with respect, but never with genuine, cordial acceptance. To him, Rocky had always been little more than a highly useful tool. And while nobody working for Mr. Big had dared to openly treat Rocky with disdain, he had received enough stink eyes to last a lifetime.

Being a fox sometimes was little more than a nuisance.

He had experienced nothing of that sort at the ZPD.

Of course he had no idea what the mammals he had met earlier that day had been thinking, but if their reactions to his presence had been any indication, nobody had held any resentment towards foxes. Everybody had treated Nick as if he was their best friend, and the friendliness had been extended to include Rocky as well.

Never before in his entire life had Rocky been treated as respectful as he had been treated in that short minutes at Precinct One.

This was what he had always wanted: Being treated with respect.

It was as if nobody had cared that he was a fox.

Just as nobody seemed to care that Nick was one.

The scene he got to see down in the street was a perfect example: As the mammal with the best eyesight, Nick was the obvious choice to watch what was going on. And everybody, his Chief and his coworkers, seemed to value his input highly.

Just because he was the best mammal for the job.

The fact that he was a fox didn't even enter into it.

Not for one second during their conversation had Chief Bogo treated Rocky disrespectfully. To the contrary: He obviously valued Nick's opinion highly, and thus he had been willing to overlook Rocky's shady past and had offered him the chance of his lifetime.

He had offered him his full support.

Do you say "No!" to something like that?

Rocky had already made up his mind to accept the offer, to apply to the ZPA, even before he had talked to Bogo, but what he had gotten to experience during the conversation and afterwards had only served to strengthen his resolve.

He would enter the ZPA. He would become a cop. He would work at Precinct One, offering them his blood, sweat, toil and tears.

Because he knew for a fact that he would be rewarded with respect.

That was why he was now sitting on the window sill, preparing to jump into the building to take out the three cape buffaloes. He wanted to deliver a message to Bogo, a message which was now resting in the pocket of his black trousers. A small envelope, with just one piece of paper in it, bearing just two words.

Of course, there was another reason he was sitting there, preparing to assault the culprits.

Was he able to take down a cape buffalo? Or rather, three of them?

Not that he doubted it - he was just curious. After all, he had never faced one before, much less three of them.

"Let's find out," he whispered.

Luck had been with him: The window the buffaloes had used to enter the building was directly opposite his vantage point, a few feet lower. The height difference and angle were perfect for him.

Unlike Bosston, he only needed one attempt to let his grappling hook find purchase on the roof of the other building. He took a deep breath and flung himself forward. The rope became taut, the jump became a swing, and with the precision of a well-placed bullet, he shot through the open window into the darkened room, catching himself in a combat roll, hardly making any sound.

Now for the interesting part.

With silent steps, he followed the buffaloes down the only available path, out of the room, into a staircase and down several sets of stairs into the shop proper.

Even before he was able to enter the room, he heard the three mammals talk to each other. "No, not that one. This one here's the real deal. That one's just an eye catcher."

"Are you sure? It looks pretty."

"And it isn't worth a dime, trust me."

The beam of a flashlight shone through the open door.

 _Not exactly subtle, those idiots_ , Rocky thought as he approached the door. _Nick'll have a field day out there_.

He lunged into the pocket of his trousers, grabbing the tiny disc resting there. It was a very special piece of equipment Mr. Big had procured for him, basically little more than a tiny speaker. The Bluetooth headset he was wearing was connected to the device, so he was able to talk from the shadows and would be heard at a very different location, as if he was standing there. After he had started taunting his victims, Mr. Big had given it to him as the means to enhance the mystique around the character of Arctic Fire. Checking one final time that the battery was properly charged and the connection was working, he tossed the disc into the room. It landed on the floor with a quiet tinkle, probably not loud enough for the buffaloes to hear it. When they commenced their conversation as if nothing had happened, he knew he had succeeded.

 _Alright! Showtime!_

"Shame on you!" he said into his microphone.

There was a noisy crash inside the job, a muffled curse, then silence.

Suddenly, a voice, loud and strong: "Who's there?"

"Why, I'm your worst nightmare, bub. I'm the guy who tells you that you shouldn't rob other people's houses."

"Yeah, so what're you gonna do about it?"

"Oh, that's easy. Here's the situation. If I hit you, I'll kill you. If I miss, the wind behind the punch will give you pneumonia and you'll die anyway, so the choice is yours, jabroni!"

"Damn it!" another voice says. "That's Arctic Fire!"

"Nonsense! He's dead," the first voice again. "I think …"

Rocky smiled. "It doesn't matter what you think!"

"I'm telling you, it's him!" Whoever the guy was the second voice belonged to, he sounded quite frantic."

"Yeah, sure! As if he would ever …"

During their heated exchange, Rocky changed his position, peering into the shop. Thanks to the flashlights all three of them were holding in their hooves, it was easy for him to make out his victims.

 _Cape buffalo._ Syncerus caffer caffer _. Large mammal. High physical strength, particularly in the arms. The legs are somewhat weaker. Eyesight is rather bad, the other senses average. Stamina is also average. Both hooves and horns are extremely dangerous weapons. Rather slow and sluggish, but once they get moving, stopping them is highly difficult. Due to the big bone shield between their horns, they can run into brick walls and emerge virtually unscathed. Or through mammals unfortunate enough to be in their path. Very dangerous opponents who are very hard to take down, due to sheer size, strength, and the heavily protected skull. A cape buffalo trained in martial arts always is an extreme threat._

 _Strengths: Physical strength, horns, head butts, hooves. Body well protected in general._

 _Weak spots: Throat, knees, testicles, stomach._

Time to get to work!

* * *

 **Back outside of "Wambui's Jewelry Shop," Sahara Square, Zootopia**

"Not exactly subtle, those idiots," Wilde said. "Every pedestrian walking by could notice the flashlights."

Bogo nodded. Even he was able to see the beams of light shining through the shop windows. "It's a miracle nobody had spotted them during the first heists."

"Well, it's two in the morning. Most mammals are in bed, and those who aren't probably are so drunk that they think they're suffering from hallucinations."

Bogo looked down at Wilde. "Not everybody who's around at this time of night is drunk, you know."

"I was just joking, Chief!" Wilde sounded slightly exasperated.

"I think the Chief doesn't appreciate your sense of humor, Slick", Hopps, who was standing next to Wilde, said with a grin.

Bogo folded his arms over his chests. "Oh, the Chief appreciates a good joke. If he hears one."

Wilde chuckled. "What, do you want me to put in more effort, Chief?"

"I would prefer it if you kept your tiny mouth shut, Wilde."

"I thought you wanted me to tell you what's going on."

"Even a mole would be able to see now what's going on."

"Probably." Wilde put the binoculars back into a little pouch hanging off his utility belt. "If I may make a suggestion, I'd say we should go in now. Don't know how long it'll take them to grab the good stuff, and we want to catch them red-hoofed."

"Agreed." Bogo looked at Pennington. "You have the keys?"

The elephant nodded and produced a set of keys almost as big as Hopps was. "Of course, Chief. Got them from Mr. Wambui himself."

"Good. By the way, good work figuring out where they would strike."

"Oh, it was easy," Pennington said with a smile. ""Markus and I," she pointed at the polar bear, "have figured out what our missing link was. Of all the jewelry shops in Sahara Square, this is the only one that fits the bill: new delivery of jewelry, several ads in the newspapers - just as it was with the previous thefts."

Grizzoli added: "All store owners who were robbed had just made the fact known that a few new and valuable items had just arrived. Up for grabs, so to speak."

"Exactly. They were shouting their new acquisitions out to the world, and those perps certainly took the hint. All we needed was the exact time when they would …"

She was interrupted by a gasp. Irritated, Bogo looked down at Hopps, who had made the sound, probably involuntarily. "What is it, Hopps?"

"Something got broken in the shop," Hopps said tensely. Her ears were erect and swiveling.

"Really?"

"It was very faint, but … And now I swear I can hear voices."

Not for the first time, Bogo had to marvel at Hopps's sense of hearing. He had heard absolutely nothing, nor had the other police officers. "Can you make out what they say?"

"Difficult." She closed her eyes, furrowing her brow in intense concentration. "Nightmare … rob … about … situation … pneumonia … that makes no sense!" Suddenly she gasped again. "Arctic Fire …"

"What?" Bogo and Wilde shouted at the same time.

"I distinctly heard the name Arctic Fire."

"You sure?" Wilde asked.

"Dead sure."

"Shit!" Wilde had already pulled the binoculars out of the pouch and was peering into the store again. "Too dark to make out anything … I just see the flashlights moving. Only two of them now though."

"What do you mean?"

"Two are moving. One is … stationary on the ground. I'd say we have an unconscious mammal. Now two."

"Just one left?"

"Just one left, that's it. Swinging wildly, like a baton. I see a lot of movement on top of that, but it's just too dark for me to make out details."

Bogo looked at the storefront himself. And sure enough, there was only one moving source of light left.

And then it stopped moving, too.

But only for a few seconds. Then it started flashing in irregular impulses.

"Er, what …" Bogo began.

"That's Morse code!" Patrick Johnson spoke up.

"You sure, Officer?"

"My father taught it to me."

"What does it say?"

"The northern wind … sings … in … the … stove … pipe."

"Say again?"

"The northern wind sings in the stove pipe. Nothing else."

"What does it mean?"

"It means," said Wilde, "that the heist has just come to an untimely end." He gave a small chuckle. "Rocky, you crazy son-of-a-bitch!"

"What happened?" Bogo asked. "Is MacIntyre in there? How did he get in?"

"No idea. He must have watched us arrive, because he knows I'm here, hence the stove pipe line. Maybe he entered the building after our arrival to wait for them. Maybe he entered after them. Who knows? Who cares?" Wilde looked up at Bogo. "All I know is that we have three unconscious buffaloes to collect."

* * *

 **Inside of "Wambui's Jewelry Shop," Sahara Square, Zootopia**

Rocky dropped the flashlight he had used to deliver the message to Nick, then he turned around and beheld his handiwork. "What a disappointment!" he said aloud.

After their stunning acrobatic display, he had expected the three buffaloes to be in better shape, to give him more of a challenge.

It had quickly become painfully obvious - painfully for them - that neither of them had had any idea of how to fight.

Granted, he had the advantage of better eyesight in the dark, the advantage of agility and quickness, and the advantage of being a highly trained, seasoned fighter. But apart from that, they had had the upper hoof in every other regard - size, strength, reach, protection. Plus they had been holding flashlights which, in their hooves, would have had the potential of becoming veritable and highly dangerous weapons. He only had his claws.

It had still taken him less than 30 seconds to take them all out.

 _I'm sure Bogo would have given me a harder time._

Rocky looked through the window in the direction of the police officers. It seemed like they had taken the hint. Led by Bogo, all seven of them crossed the street and approached the shop.

Time was running out.

For a second, he asked himself why he was so keen to disappear. Nick, Bogo and the other officers had surely realized what was going on in the shop. And despite the fact that vigilantes, in general, were frowned upon by police forces, he was quite certain that Bogo wouldn't mind this particular piece of assistance.

Maybe it was just what he had always done - pop up somewhere, raise hell, leave.

 _Wouldn't want to ruin my reputation._

He collected the device from where it had landed, lunged into the pocket of his trousers and was just about to put the envelope next to the culprits. But then he hesitated, and a slight smile crossed his face under the piece of cloth which hid his muzzle.

Looking around, he found a pen on one of the counters. Opening the envelope again, he hastily scribbled a few additional words onto the piece of paper, put it back in the envelope, and finally placed it on the floor next to the unconscious buffaloes, in plain sight. Then he made for the door leading to the staircase.

And not a moment too soon. He had hardly left the room when he heard a key being turned in the lock. Seconds later, he heard the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps entering the shop. A loud and strong "Clear!" indicated that they had found nothing amiss.

Apart from three burglars resting in the arms of Morpheus.

And a note severing his ties with his past.

He hardly made a sound when he walked up the stairs back into the room on the fifth floor. Looking through the window to make sure the streets were deserted, he used his own rope to climb to the roof. Collecting grappling hook and rope, he ran over to the side of the building, jumped over to the one next to it, climbed down the fire escape and disappeared into the night.

* * *

 **Back inside of "Wambui's Jewelry Shop," Sahara Square, Zootopia**

After Grizzoli, Fangmeyer and Johnson had taken the three robbers into custody, Bogo had asked Pennington, Hopps and Wilde to conduct a thorough search of the entire shop. He didn't think there would be something they hadn't seen so far, and was therefore slightly surprised when the two small mammals approached him. "You found something?"

Wilde cleared his throat. "This was lying on the floor, next to where the three perps were when we found them." He handed Bogo a small envelope.

A _fox_ -sized envelope, way too small for Bogo to open. And certainly too small for him to read without glasses. "What does it say?"

"Haven't opened it yet," Wilde said. "It's personally addressed to you, Chief."

Bogo gave the envelope back to Wilde. "Please open it and read it to me."

"Of course, sir." Wilde opened the envelope and took out a small piece of paper. He read the note, and a wide grin appeared on his muzzle. "'I'm in.' That's all it says."

Bogo snorted. "He could just have told me over the phone."

Wilde chuckled. "But you have to admit, this adds pizzazz."

"Hang on!" Hopps said, looking at the piece of paper herself. "There's a postscript."

"What does it say?" Bogo asked.

"'I tend to think so, Chief.'" She raised her voice when saying the last word, as if it was a question.

Bogo snorted. "And he could just have gone to the gym to find out."

"Excuse me?"

"Forget it, Hopps. That's between MacIntyre and me. Anything else?"

Hopps shook her head. "One display was broken, probably by Mr. Bivol - we found a glass shard embedded in his arm. Apart from that, the three seem to be unharmed, or rather, there are no visible injuries. If I may haphazard a guess, they probably suffer from concussions."

"Any clues pointing towards our … ally?"

"None. Not a single hair. At least as far as we can make out. Maybe forensics might come up with something, but somehow I doubt it."

Bogo looked around. Apart from the broken pane of glass, the place looked untouched, unspoiled. "They probably won't, right." He raised his voice. "Well, I guess we can blow this pawpsicle stand."

"Sir!" Pennington piped up. "What shall I write in my report?"

"I don't care," Bogo said quickly. "But you better make sure the Chief never hears of this, Francine."

Pennington looked at him for a few seconds, astonishment on her features, then she grinned. "Don't worry, Adrian, he'll never know."

"Good. Alright, let's go." He turned towards the exit, Pennington, Hopps and Wilde in tow.

* * *

 **If you think that this is quite an abrupt end to "Wound," with no real closure to speak of, you're perfectly right. But it was never intended to be more than a story which explains a few concepts that I thought need explaining. There never was any intention for real character development, nor was there a real storyline I had had in mind when first thinking about tackling these issues. I actually had to remind myself that this was the case - "Wound" took up so much of my time, and "Hammer" had to pay the price.**

 **"Wound" grew so much in fact that I now consider it to be the first story of my intended story arc, Part One of a trilogy of stories, so to speak. The trilogy starts with "Wound," is continued in "Nightmare" and will eventually find its conclusion in "Hammer." This is why I originally intended to give more explanations in this story which would come into fruition in "Nightmare." But like I said, I no longer think it's necessary.**

 **The idea of this being Part One of a trilogy sounds fine in theory, but it leads to some nasty repercussions. When talking about three stories which belong together, you need to make sure the stories are in sync. Which these are not. "Wound" ripped quite a few sizeable gaps into both "Hammer" as well as my first story, "Nightmare." For example, in one of the early chapters of "Hammer," I have Nick, Judy, and Mastiff talk to each other over the phone, talking as if they hardly know each other. In this story, however, I have established that they do know each other, and quite well at that. Heck, Judy's on first name terms with Mastiff! At this stage, Nick probably is, too. So I need to change this in "Hammer" before I will be able to move on. And I also, and finally, need to deal with Delgato in "Nightmare." When I started writing the story, I still thought he was a tiger. And these are just two of many shortcomings I see when re-reading my stories.**

 **In other words, I feel the need to tackle those shortcomings before I'll be able to set my sights on "Hammer" again. But seeing that "Hammer" has been sitting on a shelf for more than a year, a few more weeks of staying there is no big deal, I think.**

 **So, that's Arctic Fire for you. I said it before, but I'm gladly saying it again: Most of the character was suggested to me by tweiler18, who really deserves most of the credit. I merely added some bits and pieces. Thanks yet again for giving me the character, tweiler18! He promises to be a lot of fun when I finally get to use him in "Hammer," I guess. Even with his dark, black past …**

 **The way Rocky was treated by Mr. Big after having been sprung from prison was inspired by the way Michael Corleone treated the former cop Albert Neri when he wanted him to become his enforcer. The story can be found in the outstanding book "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo, Book VIII, Chapter 30. It's so good, it's scary!**

 **The bone shield connecting the horns of a cape buffalo is commonly called "boss," hence the name Bosston. Manda is the Turkish word for buffalo, and bivol the Croatian version.**

 **The silly catchphrases Rocky refers to were taken out of a rather old song by the famous German singer/songwriter Reinhard Mey. In 1971, he released an album called "Ich bin aus jenem Holze," and on this album, the song "Das Geheimnis im Hefeteig oder Der Schuss im Backofen" (The Secret in the Yeast Dough aka The Shot in the Oven) can be found. In it, Mey describes a household accident - an apple pie which explodes in his oven - that leads secret agents to believe he had managed to create some new and very powerful sort of explosive. After having been kidnapped by said agents, he hears one of them, called Robinson, tell another one named Mäusezähnchen that "Bratkartoffeln blühen blau," fried potatoes blossom in blue. Another agent called Butterblume tells Dornröschen that "Nordwind singt im Ofenrohr," the northern wind sings in the stove pipe. And if you think now that this makes no sense, you're perfectly right - it makes no sense. ;-) The song is absolutely hilarious! And while I was at it, I also added Rumpel … pumpel, er, Rumpelstiltskin, just for good measure.**

 **So, that's it, finally! "How to Treat a Festering Wound" is done! This little one-shot became a 180,000+ words juggernaut! (For all you geeks out there: That's a novel of some 600 pages!) And it took me more than a year to complete!**

 **I stated in my first story, "Nightmare," that I never start writing with a complete story in mind. I know the point from where to start, I know where I want to end up, I have a rough idea of what I want to tell, but most of the details develop while I'm writing them down. I try to imagine being one of the protagonists and simply listen to them telling me the story. Which often leads to stories spinning out of control with a vengeance.**

 **This story certainly is a case in point, but never, never ever, has one of my stories spun out of control that fiercely!**

 **Then again, of course it did! After all, I had never even intended to write it in the first place! This was just a spur-of-the-moment affair which grew to abnormal proportions.**

 **As a rule, stuff like this is something that bothers me. Not this time, though! I was having a ball!**

 **And I have you, my dear readers, to thank for it!**

 **So, I hope to see all of you again in a few weeks in "Hammer to Fall" - FINALLY!**

 **Thanks to all of you for sticking with me over the course of the last months! Please send me your reviews!**

 **And, of course, take care!**

 **J.O. aka TheCatweazle**


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